September BJP

SEPTEMBER TAG

"DURANGO DREAMS"
My September BJP is done, I wanted to leave a lot of space for the fabric to show because I like the batik look. Since I messed it up in the very beginning and put on the fabric back before I beaded the tag, it was a tough one to bead and hide the thread so it didn't show on the back. What was I thinking??? Just a little too anxious to get it started maybe? I certainly know better!!! Progress PHOTOS and daily thoughts are on a separate page if you'd like to see those too. This tag began as simply a dark blue background to represent the sapphire birthstone of September, my birth month. It progressed just a teeny bit into a small statement of love since my niece was married this month as well. Dark green and olive are the colors representing the beautiful pine trees in Colorado. I have a small Durango charm attached above the center beaded heart and way down below I put in two white hearts to represent each of them and their dreams for the future. I had big plans for the tags hole and had wanted to bead some strands to thread throught it, but oh well...I have 11 more months to do something different like that for another tag. I beaded a teeny leaf to hang from the ribbon and fabric strands which you can't see. It's not too complicated, but since it is my first month with BJP I'm still evolving and testing out new techniques.

Finishing Up!

This weekend I had some time to work a little more on my tag. My mind is not on this project this month, because I have a wedding to go to in a few days!! Cannot wait to see my niece walk down the aisle. I've been making little beaded hair pins for her hair and some beaded pearl earrings. I beaded up teeny flower cups with swarovski crystal centers and attached them to hair pick/pins. The actual beadwork didn't take that long, it was the planning, and "how is this going to work" ideas with testing along the way, that took up my time. I finished up her rosary, and now had some time to work on 'the bjp project'. I will be finished up this week. PHOTOS. The challenge for me has been filling a small space with something that makes sense together. I checked out some more bjp peoples' blogs and they have already shared their finished works...lots of talent out there!

Tag Along With Me

My shape for my project is a tag shape. I love tags. Since there is a hole in the top, it is perfect to hang a beaded rope or whatever from it. I have done so much scrapbooking in the past that I think that shape is permanently engraved on a brain cell. Today I got quite a lot done on my September Tag. I outlined the entire thing with brick stitch after using wonder under to iron on the fabric front and back to my center felt piece. I needed an iron on fusible which wouldn't be too thick or give my needle problems getting through it, and so far the wonder under has been perfectly easy to sew through. The fabric has a batik sapphire and olive/brown pattern to it which I'm sort of following, and that is a bit limiting. Now I wonder if I should have gone bigger, but I wanted to start small since this is the first year with the BJP and I wanted to make sure the size would allow me to finish each one by the end of the month. Now the challenge is how much do I want to cover on it?

SePTeMbEr Progress

I love tags. They are versatile, tell mini-stories, and are fun. The hole in the top is perfect for hanging, or to make into a book, or pin up in a frame. And the hole lends itself to another design element; the actual beaded strand or ribbon that slides through it. I can bead in a circle around a space, or put a round element with a hole in that spot too. I have been taking Photos, but I think I will post them at the end of the month for the anticipation factor. (I guess that's assuming anyone wants to sneak peek at them. It has been challenging in that I kind of messed up right off the bat because I was so anxious to iron on the fabric to the tag and get it started! I should have left the fabric on the back side off, until I beaded the whole thing first, and then added the back fabric and done the edging beads. Oh well, I have a secondary plan now for that. Stay tuned! I haven't decided what I'm going to do with all 12 of my tags at the end of the year, but I have a year to think about it!! I am not a big bead embroidery person, but I am a huuuge beader of jewelry and components. Whatever I am working on within the month will most certainly become a piece of my journaling project. This is my first year with all the talented designers of this project so I feel more than a little intimidated with all their awesome work.

Owoooooo!

Well here I am again, it is in the early morning hours and I can hear the coyotes howling again...and my mind is on what else, BEADS! SOON I will have photos to share. I am more than intimidated by all the awesome work I have seen while browsing around all the BJP members last year and this year. The fact that some already have theirs done is giving me a 'boot' to get going. I know there's no one pushing me, but that's the challenge I guess for me.

Cut and Plan

Today I finally cut up all my planned pieces to get them ready for my 'bead impression' of the month. Since September is my birth month, it will be birthstone color inspired. Sapphires. I have my nieces wedding on the brain right now, so I'll fit a bit of that thought in with it as well. Since this is my first ever BJP, I am not getting too adventurous and picked out lots of batik fabrics to use as inspiration colors for my monthly thoughts. This way I have somewhat of a pattern or outline to roughly go with. I don't do a lot of bead embroidery, but decided to use a stiff felt background for behind my fabric. I like to just go with the feel and flow as I bead, so there will be no real plan. Hopefully this week I will post photos of my beginnings.

Onward!

I can't seem to get going on my project, which I new would be a challenge because I'm getting ready for a trunk show, however today I am determined to get this darn thing going. I see some people are already done, and here it is Sept. 3rd. I really didn't want to start until September to make it more challenging for myself. My size format is a bit different judging from all the comments I see on the main bjp pages of others. Hopefully it all works out in the end. There are so many talented people on the bjp, I just hope I stack up! Photos are coming!!!

BJP Tag PhOtOs

Small peek at my tag, before I finish it up and show the final photo. Some pieces like the large medallions I beaded separately and then attached them. The dreams piece I glued directly to the fabric and beaded around it as a cabachon. I just did a small heart of beadwork embroidery to represent the love of this month for my family. The blue crystal represents the Sapphire stone which is the birthstone of the month. I will add it to the tag later. It reminds me of a pretty blue eye! Here is a closeup of just a little sentiment that reminded me of my niece Brianne, who is getting married this month and has lots of dreams for her future. The 'dreams' piece is actually a scrapbooking embellishment. The hearts represent Brianne and David her fiancee. Ready, Set, I purchased some stiff felt and used it as my base tag shape. Then I cut two pieces of fabric a teeny bit bigger, and wonder under the same tag size and ironed them together. After the fabric was ironed on I punched a hole in the top for my ribbons, bead strands or whatever I decide to hang from it.