Sweet Bead Studio — Handcrafted jewelry by Cindy Wimmer

Keeping up with tradition

by Cindy on December 15, 2008

Hello again, friends

Did you have balmy weather where you are on Monday? It was so nice…to be in the low 60’s in December. I managed to take the baby, my 4 year old, and our 13 year old Shi Tzu (Hodgie) on a walk/bike ride today to enjoy this weather. Of course it’s all going down hill tomorrow…wind, rain, cold.

I had hoped to post some pictures from our weekend earlier, but Mondays are just about the worst day of the week for me in terms of running all over town. Mondays and Wednesdays…more than the usual amount going on then.

With Christmas just around the corner, we had a busy agenda trying to squeeze in some of our favorite traditions. But first, I just have to share a picture of the little one who is now TWO months old. I can’t take enough pictures of him! And when my brother flies out here next week with his family (from San Diego), I’m going to see if he can give me some photography advice. He takes great pictures, or maybe it’s his super nice camera. I’m making the most of my Sony Cyber-shot.

Every holiday season my husband carries on my Grandmother’s fruitcake baking tradition. He really seems to get in to it, suprisingly. My Dad always has a lot to say about the fruitcake…too much of this or too little of that. In the last few years, he gave Randy the stamp of approval. He had the recipe just right. This year is like starting all over. Randy’s crinkled-up piece of paper that holds the precise ingredients that took years to perfect has gone missing…it’s packed up in a box from our move! So he found a brand new recipe and is ready to be critiqued! 🙂 Here are a few shots of the bakers in the kitchen.

Here they are getting down to business….

Later in the evening (because Randy insists that we go in the dark to see the lights!) we made our annual trek to see the National Christmas tree. It’s such a scenic ride, with views of the Jefferson Memorial, National Monument, the Kennedy Center, Watergate and the Pentagon along the way. It was cold as usual, but we braved it. Even little Nathaniel.

There was a lot of ornament-making action this weekend too. Here are some wired stars…these are heavy and would be nice to just hang here and there around the house. The one with the mega amount of wire is Randy’s….he couldn’t stop wrapping that wire around, and around, and around…. and said it was a great stress reliever. Must….keep….wrapping….wire….until this thing looks like a mummy!

Here are the kid’s herd of reindeer magnets and ornaments….

And last but not least, little popsicle stick snowmen. They have such cute expressions…I especially like the one in the middle that really looks more like a baby bird. 🙂

That was our holiday round up! I can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to… if you have a blog, I’ll be checking it out!

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

by Cindy on December 8, 2008

Hello friends

The weekend came and went in a flurry. Like many families across the country, we were out and about picking out our Christmas tree. It was a super cold day here in Virginia, and as if on cue, a light snow began to fall as we emerged from the car to pick out our tree. We always seem to make this expedition in the evening, and on the coldest day in December. My husband loves to play up picking out the tree with the kids, and calls our tree “Old Granddad”. I have no idea where he came up with that name, but the kids love it. Today my 4 year old told his teacher how we picked out “ole Granddad” over the weekend, and she had to tell him she wasn’t quite sure what he was talking about.

It seemed a little strange (sad, really) not to be bringing our tree home to our old house and putting it in it’s usual spot. But I have to say I am open to change, so we’re creating new memories this year.

Each year we add a White House Christmas ornament to our collection. These beautiful ornaments are popular here in the DC area and are an interesting way to learn a little bit about our presidents and Christmases past. The series was stared in 1981.

Next I wanted to share a picture of my little Santa Baby. 🙂 Here is a sneak peek of one of the photos that will grace our Christmas card. The adorable handknit hat is by LuLu’s Woobies on Etsy. She also has the cutest little green elf hat in her shop.

That’s my holiday round up for now. I do have one place I’d like to send you to before I go. If you have a few moments and are really in the mood for some visual holiday cheer, pay a visit to the Something Sublime blog. You’ll find a dazzling “12 Days of Christmas” ornament exchange in full swing and learn of the history and meaning behind this popular holiday song. Be sure to scroll down, it’s hard not to with the beautiful photography and incredible artwork!

Until next time…Season’s Greetings!

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Little stories behind the beads

by Cindy on December 4, 2008

Did you know that your jewelry might just have a little story of it’s own? And no I don’t mean the obvious story behind that pair of diamond earrings you may have received as an anniversary gift. I’m talking about handmade jewelry. If you ask a jewelry designer about the beads she used in say a particular bracelet, chances are she can give you the whole low down of where they came from. This is true especially if the beads are handmade themselves, such as with glass or clay. These special beads are often tucked away until inspiration hits or for just the right project.

If you could only see my special bead stash! I have a little treasure trove of lampwork beads that I just can’t possibly use….yet. I’ve gone through my collection (yes, that’s what I like to call those beads that are up on a pedestal) so many times just to admire the colors and detail, basically hoarding them. I kinda have a problem with that. I took out a few of these beads recently and decided it was their time. 🙂 I’ve been in the mood to make another necklace using oxidized copper wire, and thought earthy tones would be a good complement. The Kazuri beads brought back a few memories from when I bought them.

A Gem and Jewelry show or two back, I happened upon the Kazuri booth. These are the handmade clay beads made by women in Kenya. It was a beautiful visual display with all of the beads grouped by color. I spoke with the vendor who said she came down from NH and was from a shop called TurtleNeckJewelry. After a while she asked if I wouldn’t mind watching her booth so she could run to the bathroom. I was struck that she had no one else to ask but a total stranger, trusting me to watch over her entire inventory, money box, computer and cash box. When she returned I made my purchase, and she insisted on giving me a few complimentary beads for doing her a favor. How thankful she was that she could take just a few minutes away from her booth. She was such a kind lady that I would have loved to stay all day as her assistant! I left with a feeling of happiness, just being able to help someone in some small way. Her trust, in this day and age, was also heartwarming. Now, over a year later some of those beads have been made in to two necklaces.

First up is “Dalilah”, an African name that means “gentleness is her soul”. I thought that was appropriate for a necklace that has soft, muted green shades. The necklace is entirely handmade: clay beads, wire links and clasp. It was oxidized in Liver of Sulphur, polished with steel wool, then tossed in the tumbler.

The second necklace is “Woodland Sprite”. The Kazuri focal has both mossy and jeweled shades of green. Swarovski crystals and smoky quartz have been coiled around a large swirl frame. It sure felt good to make another entirely handmade piece.