Ahhhh…. Reading Week. A welcomed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday school and learning life.
This week has offered some opportunities for catching up, reflecting and even a trip to the USA with my kids. Don’t get too excited for me – I live as close to Minot, ND as I do Regina, but there is lots to see and buy in Minot that you will never see or buy in Regina!
First (and always) stop? Qdoba. Never been? I liken it to a Mexican subway. It never disappoints.
{Check out the size of that bowl! How many avocados do we think are in there?!}
Second stop? Hobby Lobby. Never been? Think American version of Michael’s. I decided I really wanted to see the beads I planned to use for my project in person rather than ordering online and being disappointed in colours, sizes, etc. Hobby Lobby did not disappoint in their bead supply options! Look at all of the beautiful colours! And they were on sale!
I ended up settling on a small selection of multi-coloured beads rather than choosing individual tubes of colours. To get started on an actual project I would consider showing others, I do believe these beads were a good choice. But, I also think I will be stopping at Michael’s during my visit to Saskatoon to grab an even bigger selection of beads should this next beading attempt go well.
Once I got started with the new beads, I was interested to find the inconsistencies in sizes in these beads as well. There must be a trick or a “best source” that seasoned pros use! My second attempt definitely went better than the first, but I’m still slow as molasses in January (so glad it’s not still January!) when it comes to working with beads and thread and felt, etc, etc! I do feel like this process would get easier and I will get faster once I’ve practiced this craft some more!
I don’t love the colour pink, but I’ve decided I’d like to try to bead an animal using the pattern I found previously, and I wanted to save my greens and blues. Here’s the petal I completed with my new glass beads. It’s a very slight improvement, but blood wasn’t shed, tears weren’t shed and no bad words were expressed….out loud, anyway!
Hi Chantelle, this is so cool! I have always loved beading ever since my brother got into it and made a ton of cool things! I recently saw a video of three dimensional beadwork and could not understand it, but maybe you’d know how that works lol. Your beadwork looks good!
Ooh three dimensional beadwork sounds like a challenge that I am not ready to take on… yet! lol
I feel like I’m just getting my footing with the basics, but am enjoying it more and more which is a welcomed improvement!
Hey Chantelle!
This post is cute as heck! I also live equally as close to Minot as I do Regina! We should grab a coffee haha. I always find it super interesting how many inconsistencies there are with beads in size and colour as well.. and I have never taken the time to look up how they are made, I will run to google once I have finished commenting. I have never tried Qdoba but that bowl of guac looks like I need to give it a whirl.
Your flower so far looks beautiful 🙂
Hi Amanda!
I don’t want to publicly ask you where you live, but I’m intrigued to know that there’s someone else in this class that lives just as close to Minot as Regina!
It’s kind of fun living in the middle of nowhere (not really) but also living just as close to Regina as Minot, right?! If only the exchange rate would improve….
I HIGHLY recommend Qdoba. You can get extra guac and they don’t even charge you for it. #sogood
Hey Chantelle, its great to see you got to go out of town for the break… sometimes just being somewhere different can change the whole mood! I could not help but mention how good you made Qdoba sound. I could have subway any day of the week, so I could definitely try out some Mexican Subway haha. As easy as beading looks, it is difficult! I have attempted it a few times, but unfortunately the only tip I can give you is to just be patient. This is a skill that takes a lot of practice and a lot in you not to just throw the piece across the room in anger LOL…
I will never stop suggesting to everyone that they try Qdoba! It’s literally an eat fresh situation with Mexican food!
Thank you for recommending patience. That is what I feel like I was initially lacking because I just expected it to be easy. And it wasn’t. So then I was frustrated. But I have persisted and haven’t thrown anything across the room so I’m moving in the right direction!
I also live in a town where Minot is just as far away as Regina. But I haven’t had the chance to head down to Minot yet. I need to renew my passport first! Once I get that sorted out, I will have to try the restaurant you mentioned. I love Mexican food!
Beading takes a lot of practice! I had a friend who did Indigenous beading, and I invited her to come and teach beading to a group of kids I worked with. They all loved it! It can be a little challenging to find the right beads. I think most of the pros use those tiny beads, but they can be challenging to thread onto a needle.