Oh, hey guys…me again. I know I just posted a few days ago, but it turns out that creative expression doesn’t necessarily follow a bimonthly pattern. Oooh yes…it could be that I’m feeling a little rebellious. I want to share my most recent beading project…and I want to share it….now…

This beaded, wrapped, leather bracelet was pretty straightforward as far as projects go, but oh boy, this baby was a long time in the making..I actually started it in December, and thought I’d have it finished in a day….erm…it turned out to be a bit fiddly working with the long threads, and I have the attention span of a gnat. Early on, I’d whoop with delight if I got half a dozen rows done, about a half hour’s effort. Anything beyond that, and I’d feel all cross-eyed and nervy. As work progressed, the beading threads got shorter, and things hummed along much faster. I didn’t plan beyond my initial selection of beads, and happily, I quite like the finished effect. I have to say, my {very} favourite part is the button fastener. It’s just two regular buttons, stacked…but, I think it’s rather cool looking. For those that get the hankering for their own DIY project, I assure that single wrapped bracelets take much less time.

So, fast backwards to last year, and my pie in the sky dreams of a blog filled with mesmerizing photography. Yeah, um…shall I start at the beginning? April 2014 it was, and I registered for a photography class. The start-up date was May 1st with five lessons over five weeks. I was excited, and mentally marked each passing day on the calendar. It wasn’t to be a fancy affair. A Continuing Ed programme offered through the community. But still, I held high hopes for myself. Finally, I would get my camera off the automatic setting. After just two lessons, our class got cancelled due to a civic strike. Sigh. Untended boulevards and accumulating garbage I could take, but I got me some serious wah-wahs when I learned that my long anticipated class was on hold. Although the strike ended late May, the remaining three classes were cancelled leaving me in a awkward state of learnedness. In two lessons, I did get my camera off the auto setting. Can I hear a whoop whoop? But. I found myself making more oops oops than whoop whoops while trying to take artful pictures. I would mentally see the money shot in my head. The perfect composition, the light just so, yada yada yada. The reality, however, was turning out to be another beast entirely….apparently two classes gave me just the right amount of schooling to give me confidence…I had never fiddled so freely with my camera. It was also painfully obvious that I had no clue as to what exactly I was fiddling with. Oh, I learned the words aperture and shutter speed. But. Their meaning hadn’t yet stuck. And. so. I floundered throughout the summer betwixt and between. I was tempted to simply go back to auto mode. I was tempted to spend countless hours on the Internet googling how to be a brilliant photographer in five easy lessons. But honestly, neither option held much appeal; the truth was I had been so looking forward to a real time, real life, classroom setting. I eventually put my camera holding on hold. September would surely come soon enough….and I could resume my class then…

Well, the glossy recycled paper magazine did indeed show up in my mailbox early September. And, yep, there was my class, all five lessons, just like I remembered. But, here’s the thing…I had no option but to register and pay for the course in it’s entirety and…well…that kinda annoyed me. I had already taken, and paid for, the first two lessons, and it wasn’t through any choice of mine that the class didn’t continue at the end of the labour dispute. So? I didn’t sign up for the course. Um…something to do with the principle of the matter….I believe was the argument in my head. Sigh…It all sounds a little lame now, doesn’t it?

So here I am, another year later and still rather hopeless at this photography thing. Once again, I am pondering the idea of improving my camera skills. I might even be willing to register for the spring 2015 photography course. What would you do? Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated.

This background is yummy fabric! I have orange coats and pink coats, but I don’t yet have an orange and pink coat! I think I might have to use this fabric to make a coat!