Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Give it up!


While at our local library last week I was browsing through the titles and for some reason this book jumped out at me. For me, it is a fairly short book with less than 200 pages so I figured that I would give it a shot. The book documents one woman's goal to give up one thing each month. She gives up the following:

January - Alcohol
February - Shopping
March - Elevators
April - Newspapers
May - Cell Phones
June - Dining Out
July - Television
August - Taxis
September - Coffee
November - Chocolate
December - Multitasking

I can honestly say that for me the things on her list that I would have the hardest time with would be cell phones, shopping, and coffee. The book really was a good read because she tells you the lessons she learns each month after giving up said object. Most interesting was her Cell Phone month. In our society today I can see how it would be hard for anyone to go without their cell phone for one month. I remember when I was young if you asked me someones telephone number I could tell you without blinking. Now, If someone asked me a number I honestly could not tell you. 

If you had the choice to give up 1 thing for a month that would make an impact on your life what would you give up?



Monday, July 14, 2014

Ready for another Bead Along.....

As I stated in my last blog I finally feel like life is getting back to some type of normalcy. Before I had Grayson we did a few bead alongs and I'm ready to get another one going. For those of you who have never participated in a bead along here are some frequently asked questions:

What is a bead along?     A Bead Along is simply a group of beaders from all over the world working on a designated project all at one time. Everyone works on a project on their own time, with their own color choices for a 2 week period of time.

How does a bead along work?  First of all, buy the chosen book   At the beginning of the Bead Along you will be given a list of projects to complete and the dates that each is to be completed. Once you have the first project done you email me a picture of the finished product. As pictures arrive I will post them here on the blog and facebook page for all to see.

Why participate in the Bead Along?  The whole reason for doing a bead along is to learn new techniques. Beading isn't any fun if you never learn anything new! Doing a bead along pushes you to try new techniques or projects that you may, at any other time, might not choose to do.

What if I don't finish a project before a due date or life gets in the way?  No worries. There is no cost to do the bead along and no penalty if you don't get a project finished on time. If you don't get one finished or you finish late just email me pictures when your done.

Important Notes from Kelly:
1. All pictures are to be emailed to me at off_the_beaded_path@yahoo.com. You can email them to me at any time.

2. I CAN ONLY POST WHAT YOU SEND ME! If you don't send me your name or picture I can't post it. I had someone get mad at me one  time and tell me that I was prejudice because I didn't list her colors used. I had never met the person or even seen the person before. So PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE understand that if you don't send it to me I can't put the info on the blog.

3. This is supposed to be a fun bead along so don't stress and just have fun learning. I will not be doing video tutorials on the projects because of the design infringement but I tried to pick projects that looked fun and easy but at the same time challenging for some.

Since I am doing a video series on peyote stitch I thought it would be fun to a bead along with a peyote book. One of the best ones out right now is a book called "Shaped Beadwork & Beyond" by Diane Fitzgerald. Diane always does a wonderful job with her directions and diagrams in her books. Her books give an overview of each stitch and then projects so pretty much any beader who can peyote stitch can do all the projects. So, this will be the next bead along book. 


First and foremost, please check with your local bead store to see if they have it for purchase. If not then go to other resources. Here is a list of projects to be done and dates they are due or to be done by:

August 25th, 2014  Page 99 - Diamond and Rivoli Earrings 

September 8th, 2014  Page 112 - Mancuff and M'Lady Bracelet (work on either one you want)

September 22nd, 2014 Page 79 - Rhombo Bead Earrings (If your up for a challenge the necklace for this is on page 74!)

October 6th, 2014 Page 51 - Radiance Pendant (Feel free to make any of her alternatives for this project)

October 20th, 2014 Page 160 - Pentagons & Crystals Necklace (Again feel free to make any of her variations of this project)

November 3rd, 2014 Page 133 - (Saved the hardest for last!!!!) Eye of Apollo Necklace


Remember, you can do any colors and use any type of beads that you want so have fun!




Thursday, July 10, 2014

Hello from the a Dale Family

Hello from the land of the Dale Family. The past 11 months have been a learning experience for our family. Sammy and I waited almost 11 years to have a baby so to say that having a baby has thrown our world into chaos is an understatement. We love Grayson more than words can ever explain and it is so much fun watching him grow but it has been a big adjustment for Sammy and I. I guess for me the hardest part for me has been having to figure out how to juggle being a mom, president of our local merchants association, and being a full time store owner. I used to work all day and then come home and work all hours of the night. I was pushing patterns and projects out the door left and right. Since Grayson has come along it's been a lot harder trying to figure out how to get it all done. Thankfully though, I finally feel like I'm starting to get my groove back. I'm not able to get as much done as I used to but I'm getting some done and thats more than nothing. 


Grayson is almost 11 months old, is trying to walk, and finally is starting to have 2 teeth pushing through. He's a happy baby as long as you keep his diaper clean and his belly full. He is in a pointing stage. He points at everything and he is babbling all the time. He can say cat, mama, dada, nana, papa, and is trying to say yaya but hasn't quite got that one figured out. He has our parents wrapped around his little fingers and loves Yo Gabba Gabba. For those of you who have never experienced Yo Gabba Gabba count yourself blessed lol. 

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