Good News!

Go back to the doctors on January 8 to get out my stitches!  I can't wait they are driving me crazy!

The good news is it was not cancer but a large grapefruit size cyst.  When I woke up and saw Dennis smiling at me I knew it was good news.  Now I am minus my ovaries and a grapefruit and I can't tell you how happy I feel.

I really need to start making time to blog again and send out my newsletter, I am always so happy when I have done that.  My New Years resolution is to get better at making time for things like this and beading and making glass beads!

I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for all the prayers and well wishes that you have sent me, it has really meant a lot to me!

I also have Jonna Faulkner coming the end of this month to teach a Goldie Bronze Art Clay class and I can't wait to learn how to use this new clay.  It is so beautiful when worked up and I haven't worked with Art Clay since Jonna came to my house in Clovis, that seems like years ago.  Jonna is the best teacher I have ever taken Art Clay from, when you leave her class all you want is another class from her, they are wonderful and she doesn't hold back anything in fact she gives you so much information that it is great!

Here is Jonna's website if you want to check out her work and a picture of what she will be teaching.
www.jonnafaulkner.com

My Journey with Apline Flower "The Traveling Bracelet"

I have to start this by saying the universe is a strange place and it seems to always know what I need and be there to give it to me.
Only a handful of people have known what has really been going on in my life the last few months.  It has been a very hard year for me because of losing so many friends to cancer and losing my precious little girl Coco who was a Chocolate Lab and 15 years old when she died.
I had never heard of "The Traveling Bracelets" until my friend Kerrie Slade showed me the beautiful bracelet that was sent to her by someone.  She had it with her for a week and it helped her in a lot of different ways, one being her mother who was dying from cancer.  She took pictures and blogged about it, I loved reading what was going on and where she would take her wonderful guest (Deruta the bracelet) to next.
I have been so busy with my new shop and working seven days a week that I have lost touch with what is going on in the world, so it was wonderful to hear about all of the bracelets and how it started.  Sig Wynne-Evans had cancer and made a bracelet while she was recovering and thought it would be wonderful of put good energy into her bracelet and mail it to someone who was in need of good energy and light in their life, so she mailed it to someone and then that person mailed it to someone and this is how it began.  I think Sig has 14 bracelets traveling around the world now, yes the world!  They go everywhere in the world and are still finding their way to new homes for a week and then they move on to someone else in need.
Corinne Loomer is a good friend of mine and out of the blue, called me a few weeks ago and said she had one of Sig's bracelets and wanted to know if I would like to have Alpine Flower (the bracelet) for a week, I told her I would love it!
When Corinne came to my shop and handed me the bracelet I wanted to start crying, first because it was so beautiful and second because of what it meant to me.  I told Corinne she had no idea how much it meant to me because my Doctor thought I had ovarian cancer.
Alpine has been helping me with my shop and Doctor visits and all the wonderful tests that they want to do, she has been a good friend and a good listener!  My Doctor called me last night to tell me that my blood tests were elevated and she wanted me to go see an Oncologist.  So now my new journey begins and Alpine has been at my side.  When I called Sig to tell her that I may have cancer she said to keep the bracelet until the end of the month, which I said thank you to her.  I am hoping that my new Doctor will let Alpine go into surgery with me, maybe they can wrap her up in something sterile and she will be with me.  I feel like Sig and all of the women who have worn her are standing with me and around me like a protective barrier keeping me in white light, keeping the dark away from me.
Over the last few years I have become a very private person not really letting to many people into my life because I am very tired of being hurt.  I love people and trust them to much, I am trying to find a healthy balance so that I am not hurt so much.  I have always felt like I needed to prove to people that I could be a good friend and that if I did enough for them or cared enough for them that they would like me, when in fact what I have finally learned is that I am a good person and it is not me who should be proving anything but that they need to prove to me they can be a good friend to me.
Here are some pictures of Alpine Flower, I will be posting more as our journey continues.  I feel like I am going to be fine and that they have caught this early enough that it will be alright, I need to keep good thoughts in my head and around me.

This is Corinne handing me Alpine.

Alpine driving home with me.

Alpine helping me put beads out at work.

Dr. Karamitsos talking with Alpine before our examination.

Alpine waiting for our examination.

Alpine and me had our blood taken.

This is all for now but I will be writing about the new adventures of Alpine and Kandra in a few days.

Sending everyone love and light!

Here is a link to Sigs blog,  Http://travelingbracelets.blogspot.com 

Well it's been a long time since I have done my blog but it has been idle for too long.  I finally added over fifty new beads to my website and hopefully this will continue (having time to add new beads).
www.kandrasbeads.com

The shop has been so busy that I don't have time to take pictures and post them. 

I have the new Gumdrop beads which I really love, if you go to Kerrie Slade's Facebook page you can see her new beautiful pieces that she has made with the Gumdrops.


A lot of new 5x8 Spike beads just came in and I will be working on getting pictures taken.

The big news is I am running out of space in my store, I have managed to fill my store up and then some.  I am hanging beads in the window and from the ceiling now but a woman has to do what a woman has to do to fit all the new beads in!

Some day I will have time to learn how to add pictures to my blog so they are where I want them, so in the meantime please understand that I don't know what I'm doing!!!

Sending everyone love and light, Kandra

Beading outside the box!

Hi everyone!

Once again I must apologize for not updating Kandra's blog more frequently!  We are both still here and doing fine - Kandra is busy with the store adding new beads and classes all the time and I've been busy experimenting with some of the fun new bead shapes that are around.  Now, I thought I was a die-hard seed beader, but having been introduced to some of the exciting new designs that are popping up everywhere, I have had to think again!  Spike beads, daggers, twin hole beads, mushrooms, peanuts - all of them have such a lot of potential and can add a new twist to your designs and they all come in an irresistible array of colours.  As you would expect, Kandra's Beads stocks a wide range of all of them and I have created a little collage to whet your appetite ...

Click on the 'New Beads' link on this page of the website or take your time and explore the vast range of beads that Kandra stocks via the menu on the left-hand side of the website.

Bye for now!

Kerrie

Spikes and Thorns at Kandra's Beads!

Hi everyone!

Have you seen the new Czech glass spike beads?  They come in two sizes and a wide range of delectable finishes with enchanting names like Magic Blueberry, Sapphire Silver and Silky Gold Iris Picasso and Kandra's Beads carries over 30 different colours.  They are a lot of fun to work with, adding a new dimension to your designs and as they have a hole running through the base they can either be captured in beading or used in stringing or sewn designs.  I recently had chance to play with the 17mm spike beads and created my new pattern 'Thorn Flowers' which Kandra now sells on CD along with the rest of my patterns.

Why not treat yourself to some of these exciting spike beads by either calling in to the store or by following this link to buy them on-line.  If you would like to purchase a CD of my new Thorn Flower pattern to give you some design ideas to get you started click here or if you would prefer a PDF of one of my patterns to be emailed to you, you can buy them directly from my website.

Bye for now!

Kerrie

New book in store!

Hi everyone!

Bead & Button magazine has just added a new title to the popular 'Stitch Workshop' series - 'Herringbone Stitch: basic techniques, advanced results'.  This book is in stock and available to purchase either in store or via the website at Kandra's Beads.  Bead & Button says "Herringbone Stitch is the third book in the Stitch Workshop series. It’s perfect for novice beaders learning herringbone for the first time and experienced beaders looking for more projects using their favorite stitch."

The book starts with an introduction by Diane Fitzgerald followed by some 'stitch basics' for beginners (which are also useful for more experienced beaders) and then launches straight into 26 favourite projects from Bead & Button magazine, ranging from quick to make but impressive bracelets to elaborate necklaces and everything in-between.  Herringbone is one of my absolute favourite stitches that I incorporate into my work all the time as I love the way it can be used to create supple ropes or shaped sculptural pieces - did I mention that my foxglove necklace is one of the projects in the book?

The book isn't currently listed on Kandra's website, so if you would like to purchase it by mail order, just email or call Kandra and she will let you know the postage costs - and don't forget to stock up on the beads for all those delicious projects while you are shopping!

See you next week with news of lots of new beads!

Kerrie

Leslie Frazier is coming to teach at Kandra's Beads!

Hi everyone!

Well the title of this post says it all really doesn't it?  We are very pleased to announce that international bead artist and teacher Leslie Frazier will be teaching a one day class at Kandra's Beads on Sunday August the 19th 2012 from 10 am until 4 pm.  Leslie will be teaching her popular Pinch Bead Pizzazz Pendant Necklace, Pinch Bead Spheres and Cathedral Window Beads which will give you the option of recreating the beautiful pieces shown below or incorporating these versatile little beaded beads into your own designs.

Places will be limited and this is only a one day event, so be sure to keep a close eye on the classes and events page where full details will be announced, or use the contact form to reserve a place.

Kerrie