Bead Chat

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Beadiecat — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 08:50:35 GMT

To the acronym looks like over-do-it

Cat

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Valbeads — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 01:18:02 GMT

I'm glad you like it. I'm missing them something furious right now. They're staying with their "gramma" whilst we're in VA. Hard to sleep when they're not in bed with me.

Not sure I understand your second sentence. Was it directed to me? Hope you're having a great Thanksgiving, too!

Val

www.boutiquev.us

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Gyspy Mary — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 22:45:22 GMT

Love the Westies photo. Sending Good Thoughts and Prayers your way.

I often wondered "What the overdoit is an Acronym for?"(can't spell eighter) I know it can't be good.

Take care of you

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Ceffyl1 — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 00:43:33 GMT

Go with what works for you.

I've been finding that a lot of colours are so similar that if you spill them and pick them up and get the wrong tube you can't really tell. I have some limits to what I like, I find I don't use anything bigger than a 6/0, or smaller than 15/0, but I do use the odd fancy bead. As for shapes, unless they really speak to me, or I have a project that is shouting for them, I tend to resist the temptation. I always seem to find a pattern I like, but I never seem to have the right beads. I am getting very good at improvising with sizes and such, after all I have only so many $. :)

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

D.M.Z — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:44:33 GMT

Thermoskin is the brand I bought. Google the original company web site for instructions on how to measure your size etc. They can be purchased on Amazon now and are a bit less expensive, but still the best .......... originally I bought several pairs and returned all as they were either so so in quality or just plain didn't fit a human hand. Happy warm hands ladies. Donna

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Tank Girl — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:10:51 GMT

Donna

I am going to check on those gloves. Anything that might give a little support (esp on my right hand) would be great. I'll check some medical supply places here and see what they might cost. My father was a master carpenter (he wouldn't say that, tho'). He had to have surgery to cut the constricted tendons at the base of his fingers. I'm hoping it doesn't come to that....I seem to take after him in a lot of ways!

Thanks!

Donna

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Valbeads — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 23:40:59 GMT

Well Donna that would work great...except for some bizarre reason, Zoe is now afraid of the camera. The hands you see in the shot are mine, holding her still, so Dad can take the shot!(lol) We don't understand why she's afraid of the camera now; she used to love having her picture taken. If I knew what kind of software would get rid of the redeye, trust me, I'd use it!

Those gloves sound nice. Wonder if I could convince my insurance to cover them?

Val

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

D.M.Z — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 23:03:06 GMT

Val, at the last minute wave something or toss a small stuffy away from you or up in the air....the change in direction of their eyes will remove the "red eye" effect. Or, photo the dogs outside where your flash won't go off.

Donna, I also have a hard time with things flying............I've always had stiff fingers. In high school I'd have to run my hands under hot water in the girls lav before going to typing class. It is not an arthritis thing, probably genetic, I have my dad's hands and fingers and he was an artist and a mechanic, so I never thought about failure. I played a lot of tennis and had to really develop some muscle to hold the racquet and not let it fly away.

Now I wear "arthritis" gloves, they are a thinnish neoprene and were pricey but will last forever. They are black with a textured surface and wowser red inside. They are finger tip less and work fine with beading. They also come up a ways and cover my wrists.......very comfy and warming which helps a lot. I tried the thinner ones but no one seemed to make them small enough and without fitting snug, they don't do a thing.

I can type in them too.............. Donna

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Valbeads — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 22:24:26 GMT

Thanks, Donna!

Prayers always help, and I'll take as many as I can get! I've got photos of some of my latest pieces I'll be poating a bit later. Right now it's dinnertime for me and my Westies. Here at long last is a picture of my "kids." Get ready to "ooh" and "aah!"(lol)

Zoe is in the purple harness on the left; Mac in the blue harness on the right. Sorry about the red eye; haven't figured out how to get rid of it.

Val

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Tank Girl — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:07:39 GMT

Val, Sue!

I've been feeling sorry for my poor self trying to work with arthritis, and the accompanying lack of coordination (beads flying about, needles stuck in my thumb, etc.). You two have been through several wringers and, if you can still do it, so can I!

Just don't give up, there are so many different facets to beading. If one becomes too much for now, move on to another, just don't quit!!

Prayers and hope to you both!

Donna

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Valbeads — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:58:29 GMT

Oooo, I won't tell you that I just turned 45 last month then.....ooops! Did I just say that out loud? Sorry!

I have always been a slow healer, Sue. Why? I've no idea. I think with the kidney failure I'm suffering from, it's just slowing my recovery to a crawl. I've been ill for close to a year now. When I have my good days, though, I'm doing my jewelry. It makes me happy. I enjoy stringing, and the wirework really lets me be creative. As I've told Gopika, the hammer lets me bang out some of my frustrations!(lol) I like filigree, too. My mom will tell you I'm just like our two terriers- very tenacious! It's probably best that I continue to take things slow, because whenever I overdo it, I pay for it, big time. Sometimes I forget that I can't go full throttle like I used to. Like I said, sometimes God has to beat me over the head with a 2x4 to get my attention! But He stays right beside me, all the way. I'm so grateful He gave me such a lovely gift to begin with.

Val

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

SCB1 — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 13:09:46 GMT

Valbeads:
. It's going to be slow going; it's been seven months since the last surgery and I still suffer a lot. It is difficult for someone like me to learn patience. Sometimes God has to beat me over the head with a 2x4!

it all takes a great amount of time for one to relearn how to do somethings in a different way. When I refer to beading, it is off loom beading, for it has been years since I have done stringing on a regular basis.

I too am no spring chicken, as you can tell by my avatar, in fact, today is my youngest sons 46th birthday.

I know what you mean by the amount of time it takes to recover from an injury at my age. It has been 17 months, and I still have pain to some degree on a regular basis. I just want to encourage you to keep trying that beading needle, anything you want to do after an injury such as ours, comes from pure determination, and stubbornness. And if you ask my hubby I have lots of the latter, and I get it from my mother. LOL

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Valbeads — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 07:16:49 GMT

Oh no, Sue! I'm still beading; I just can't sew anymore. I'm not sure if I mentioned to you my thumb was septic in addition to having staph, strep and entero, so my orto had to open up my thumb a second time and remove 2mm off each of my phalangeal bones to get rid of the infection and the sepsis. The bones are now very fragile because of course, at our age, bone does not grow back. And of course, the tendons had to be cut to get in there, and they refuse to stretch. PT was off limits because we can never risk it for fear of rebreaking the phalangeal bones in my thumb. The beading needles are too fine for me to hold in my hand and be able to hang on them now. My thumb is too clumsy. Took me five monts just to relearn to sign my own name! However, I have been considering taking up crewel embroidery again(I did it as a child) and seeing if that might condition my hand. It's going to be slow going; it's been seven months since the last surgery and I still suffer a lot. It is difficult for someone like me to learn patience. Sometimes God has to beat me over the head with a 2x4!

Val

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

SCB1 — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:49:43 GMT

Val, don't give up on beading, I had a bad infection in the right hand index finger in 09, I didn't think I would be able to bead again, but I wouldn't give up. I had very little feelings in the finger and it could barely move it. The infection was from a cat bite. The infection was in the the joint that connects the index finger to the hand. so the whole hand was affected by this nasty infection. I spent 4 days on IVs in the hospital. After the hospital I spent 18 weeks in physical therapy. When I was done with that, I still couldn't hold a needle in my hand, and my hand was still numb. But I wouldn't give up I kept pushing myself past the pain and frustration, till I was able to bead again without the pain and numbness. Then a year ago this last may I feel while camping (long story) in the fall I tried to stop myself and hyper extended my left thumb. I went to the doctors and he thought it was just a sprang, because the x-rays showed no break or fracture, so he splint it to keep it straight. After several weeks with it no better, he ordered another x-ray with the same results. So he said to leave the splint on and he wanted me to go to physical therapy. I went to the therapy for 10 weeks with little or no results. On the advice of the therapist I returned to the doctor. The doctor than sent me to a hand surgeon, well, the results were not what I wanted to hear, the tendons were torn in the fall and they had shrunk and I would never again have full use of my thumb, but guess what, I am beading, I guess my other fingers took over the parts my thumb couldn't do anymore. So don't give up, just keep trying, and if God is willing and the heart is into beading, you will find a way to do it.

Happy Beading!!

Re: Help ... I wanna get off the train ...

Valbeads — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 06:42:08 GMT

Well Ruth, that problem was solved for me this past January when I broke my thumb and the had to operate twice; the second time to remove infected bone. I just saw him a few days ago and my bead sewing days are officially over. What seed beads I still have I use as spacers ar accents. I hoard other kinds of beads, instead.

Val

(what I'm really loving? wirework.)