It's Summer, and the Beading is Easy.

Hello gentle beaders,

Well, were in the lazy days of summer. The days are nice and long, the vacations have finally started, the gardens are blooming, and the juicy aroma of barbeque often fills the air. Here in Pennsylvania, despite the rain, it’s been a wonderful summer so far – lower humidity than usual, with cooler days, and even cooler nights. The fireflies are finally out - silently filling the night sky with sparkle and tangible fantasy. The evening air is filled with delicate floral scents of honeysuckle, roses, and lilies – and this past week – the days have had the most amazing cloud formations – Cumulonimbus - the kind you are likely to see over crystal blue waters off the beach of St. Lucia…

Summer is a time to relax and enjoy good food, good friends, and of course, family. It’s also a time to allow ourselves a few small self indulgences like going out for ice cream, leaving the house and garden chores slide a bit, allowing a catnap in a favorite comfy chair, or reading a good book poolside after a refreshing dip.

It’s also a perfect time to take up a new hobby, or expand an existing one.

Personally – some of my best, most creative work happened while relaxing. My poetry, creative writing, sketching, painting, and beading all came easiest while sitting on the beach all sandy and sunburned, or while enjoying a light breeze sitting on the deck, or on the grass under a lilac blue sky. As the mind clears, our creativity, like water, flows…

So too should your beading projects – let nature and the season be your inspiration, whether in color, or texture, or feelings –for summer makes it impossible not to remember our most amazing childhood memories. Let the magic of summer infuse your work. Train yourself to see the unexpected delights. Treat yourself to a new class, take up and learn a new technique, and spend time with other creative people. Enhance your creativity by being inspired by new items and new ideas. Discovering and indulging your creative side is necessary to balance your soul. It soothes the mind as well as a gently massaged body.

I should know. I almost fell asleep - twice - while writing this.

Happy summer everybody. Happy Beading.

~Andrea

www.buttercupbeads.com