Assault and Beadery

by Mollie Cox Bryan

  Something in Cora’s heart sprang to life. Could she love him any more than she did?

  “I considered opening a bookstore,” he said. “Unfortunately, most bookstores aren’t making it these days.”

  “Sad, but true,” Annie said. “I’ve been working in a bookstore at home, and they do okay, but sometimes it can be scary how we go for days not making a sale.”

  Cora and Jane had been taking their time decorating each room and suite. She’d just gotten inspired to have a book-themed one. She’d have Adrian help. It would be a blast.

  “What’s got you going?” Adrian said.

  “We’ll talk about it later, okay?”

  He nodded and wriggled his eyebrows. She swatted at him. “Stop.”

  A warm pulse moved through her, along with a feeling of inspiration at that moment, standing next to Adrian, in a room filled with guests and crafts done by women she had helped.

  “May I have your attention?” Jane came into the room, pushing a cart with a bucket containing several bottles of champagne surrounded by trays of locally crafted chocolates.

  The group was hushed.

  Ruby carried out glasses, and several of the women helped pour champagne.

  “What is this?” Cora asked, holding her glass as Ruby poured.

  “A toast, my friends,” Jane said. “This is our third craft retreat. It all began with a dream. You are standing in a dream come true. To Cora, who when it comes to dreams, is like a dog with a bone and won’t let go. Thank Goddess for that! To Cora!”

  Cora felt a tear pricking, but she lifted her glass to Jane, Ruby, Cashel, Adrian, and all the crafters in the room, and remembered the ones not here. Jane walked over to her and presented her with several chocolates. “You are going to love these chocolates.”

  “Um,” Adrian said, and leaned forward. “Cora has never met a chocolate she didn’t love.”

  * * *

  Zee and Lulu insisted on having Cora, Jane, and Ruby over for drinks the following week. Here they were sitting in the same room in which they were only recently held hostage. It was a reclamation of sorts. The final reclaiming was talking Zee into playing for them.

  Zee’s fingers slid over the piano keys effortlessly as she finished playing her haunting Grammy-award-winning tune. She paused and Cora wasn’t sure if the song was finished. Winsomeness played across Zee’s face as her eyes glazed over, then her lids shut as if in prayer.

  “Bravo!” Ruby said, clapping. The others followed suit.

  “Just gorgeous,” Cora said. “And to think I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Popular before your time, my dear,” Zee said, rising from the piano bench. “Can I get anybody more wine?”

  They held their glasses up and wine was poured into them.

  Zee’s rosy complexion had returned, along with the blue eye shadow and lined eyes. At first Cora found her makeup a little dated and off-putting, but after everything, she considered it a sign that Zee was back.

  “Can I ask you why you gave all that up? Surely, it wasn’t just for a man,” Jane said.

  Cora poked her.

  “Well,” Zee said, and laughed at Cora poking Jane. “You’re right.” She sat down and sipped her wine as Cora, Jane, and Ruby leaned forward. “I wasn’t in my right mind. As I said, I had developed a drug habit. I was warned if I didn’t stop, it would probably kill me. I tried, God knows, I tried.”

  The room quieted. Zee sat in an overstuffed leather chair and scooted around a bit, then relaxed.

  The place was dimly lit with candles and a few lanterns. Jane, Cora, and Ruby sat on a cobalt blue velvet couch.

  Cora sipped the sweet wine. Was Zee going to continue her story? “Addiction is powerful,” Cora said, hoping it prompted her. “Did you get help?”

  She appeared to sink into the huge chair. “In those days, help wasn’t readily found, but yes. I went to a center. Thought I was okay and went back to my career,” she said. Her blue eyes slanted as she remembered. “Oh, how I love music. I can’t imagine my life without it.” She clutched her chest. “I couldn’t handle the pressure without the cocaine. The temptation was too great. I overdosed one night and almost died.”

  Ruby gasped. “Dreadful!” she said. “You poor thing. Drugs are the scourge of our society!”

  Lulu cleared her throat. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. To see her like that. It was as if I didn’t know my own sister.”

  The word sister reached out and grabbed Cora. Jo was their stepsister and was now probably heading for a state prison. Evidently, she suffered from the same mean spirit and temper as her father, Zee and Lulu’s stepfather. After mental health evaluations, the court found her to be free of any issues. Lulu was right: Jo knew exactly was she was about in killing Stan.

  Zee cleared her throat and continued. “Well, my mother and a composer friend of mine sat me down, after I came out of the hospital. We had a long talk,” she said. “I realized I could still have music in my life, but it didn’t have to be about performing or even doing it professionally. It was like a huge shift in my awareness. Sounds so simple, but it was so very, very hard. I’d been so focused for so long on trying to make it, then trying to maintain it, I lost sight of my way.” Her voice cracked slightly.

  “Music for music’s sake,” Jane said, sitting her glass down on the coffee table. “I get that.”

  “It seems very brave of you to just walk away like that, start again,” Cora said.

  “Thanks, Cora. Remember, I had a new love in my life then. He distracted me a good bit. He’s a story for another day,” she said, waving her hand.

  Cora wanted to know more, but sensed now was not the time to pry.

  “If you live long enough, you may be given several opportunities to reinvent yourself,” Ruby said.

  Cora mulled that over. Hadn’t she just reinvented her life? She had. She had just walked away from the Sunny Street Women’s Shelter. It wasn’t fame and fortune she left behind. She wondered if the craft retreat and her blog were her last reinvention. Would there be more? She adored her life in Indigo Gap. She loved the retreat and the house. She said a silent prayer to the Universe that the next one would go more smoothly—even though all the incidents didn’t seem to matter much to the retreaters, as they all still had a great time. She couldn’t shake the feeling that it could have gone incredibly wrong. She needed to make peace with that as she planned her next retreat.

  “Ain’t that the truth?” Lulu said. “I think I’m on my eighth reinvention.” She laughed. “That’s the wonderful thing about life: You just never know what will happen next.”

  Jane slipped her arm around Cora. “Don’t we know it!”

  Crafts

  Prayer/Meditation Beads

  While some methods of crafting prayer beads or rosaries are more complex than others, making a basic circlet of prayer beads is simple. You can purchase materials for this set for $10 or under. First, choose the pendant/charm that would give the prayer beads their theme. You will also need a pair of scissors and a soft piece of cloth to keep the beads from rolling around on the work surface.

  Step One: Arrange the beads in a circle.

  Step Two: Cut 4 feet of cord and knot one end. String on a charm and an accent bead. Then make a knot 6 inches from the charm.

  String your first bead, sliding it down to the knot. (If the bead moves over the knot, make a second knot to hold the bead fast.) Make a knot on top of the bead.

  Tighten down the knot.

  Step Three: String on a second bead and make a knot, then tighten it down against the bead.

  Step Four: Continue stringing beads, knotting between each one, until all the beads are strung. Reserve the second charm and accent bead to finish off.

  Step Five: Bring the ends of the beads together and fasten with a square knot.

  Step Six: Cut the excess cord, leaving 2 6-inch strands. Thread on the second charm and bead. Arrange the charms/beads to desired length.

&
nbsp; Step Seven: Knot above and below each one. Tighten the knots and trim any excess cord.

  How to Make Rosary (or Meditation) Beads from Fresh Flowers

  Making rosary beads from fresh flowers is a traditional method that dates back centuries. The word rosary comes from “rose garland” or “ring of roses.” Try this technique to make your own beautiful beads.

  Materials

  • Rose Petals from 8 to 12 roses

  • Cookie sheet

  • String

  • Needle

  • Medium pot

  Step One: Pluck all the rose petals from the stems and discard the stems. Place the roses on a cutting board and chop them finely as you would chop herbs.

  Step Two: Place the chopped rose petals into a medium pot. Cover them with water and bring them to a simmer. Do not let it boil. Allow them to simmer for several hours, adding more water as needed to keep them from drying out. Simmer them until they turn into what looks like a sticky pulp.

  Step Three: Allow the mixture to cool enough so that you can touch it. Begin taking small scoops of the pulp, rolling them into beads. Place them on a cookie sheet as you finish them. You will need 53 small beads, 6 medium-sized beads, and 1 slightly larger bead.

  Step Four: Pierce each bead with your needle. Take a thread, leaving a few inches at the end, and string your beads on in the following order: 10 small beads, 1 medium bead, 10 small beads, 1 medium bead, 10 small beads, 1 medium bead, 10 small beads, 1 medium bead, and 10 small beads. Pull both ends of the thread through the large bead so that they both come out the bottom of it. Thread 1 medium bead on the ends below the large bead, then 3 more small beads, then the last medium bead. Finish it off by tying the cross to the end.

  Step Five: Place your rosary on the cookie sheet. Cover them with a towel, and set them somewhere to dry. For the first day, every few hours, turn them and reposition them. Leave them for another week, turning them once or twice a day until they are dry.

  Making Herbal Beads

  Materials

  • A variety of powdered herbs. You can powder your own herbs in a coffee grinder or buy them already ground. If you have an abundance of a certain herb, try it out, as long as it is safe for the skin. If you are making these beads with children, stick with mint and other child-friendly herbs, such as chamomile or lavender.

  • Bentonite clay powder. The clay is optional, but it will help make the herbal dough easier to work with, especially if you’re making these beads with children. What’s more, the clay will make the beads sturdier. Clay can represent up to 50 percent of the mixture, and the herbs will still maintain their scent. As you become more familiar with the process, you will find it easier to decrease the amount of clay and use more herbs instead.

  • Bamboo skewers, toothpicks, or thin wire.

  How to Transform Your Herbs into Beads

  Step One: Add a few tablespoons of powdered herbs into a bowl, along with the clay powder, if you are using it.

  Step Two: Add water, a few drops at a time, until the mixture comes together into a workable dough. The exact amount of water varies, based on herbs you’ve chosen and the humidity level, so just keep adding small amounts until the dough comes together. If you add too much water, add a bit more herb powder or clay to absorb it. This process is forgiving; just keep working with your ingredients until the dough becomes easy to handle.

  Step Three: As you make the dough, notice the texture of the different herbs, along with scent. This is a sensory project. Enjoy.

  Step Four: When the dough becomes easy to handle, roll it into beads, or sculpt it into small pendants. Get creative and have fun. There’s no right or wrong kind of bead to make. When you finish each bead, stick a skewer or wire through it to make a hole. If you have enough wire, simply string your beads on it.

  Step Five: Let your beads dry. This takes at least 24 hours where I live, but if you live in a dry climate, it might take less time.

  Step Six: When the beads are dry, use them to create original pieces of jewelry, or hang small strings of them around the house. They also are great for sticking in closets and drawers.

  How to Make an Artist Trading Card in Four Steps

  Artist trading cards are super easy to make and addictive once you get going. Just 4 simple steps and you’ll have a miniature piece of art. Ready?

  Step One: Choose Your Base

  The base for your artist trading card should be a piece of paper that is 2.5 x 3.5 inches. The only thing this paper has to be is sturdy enough to endure your craft supplies. So a piece of computer paper probably won’t cut it....

  You have a few options for the base of your ATCs:

  • Buy Them: You can buy precut 2.5 x 3.5 cards specifically marketed for creating artist trading cards.

  • Make Them: Bust out your paper cutter and favorite card stock and get slicing! Or do a little upcycling and cut up your old cereal boxes.

  • Use a Playing Card: A playing card is the perfect size for an artist trading card base and you can usually buy a deck at the dollar store.

  Step Two: Create a Background

  After you have chosen a base, you might want to add some visual interest to it. In the case of using a playing card, you’ll want to cover up the card design.

  There are loads of options for creating your background:

  • patterned paper

  • book pages

  • stamps, dye or pigment stamp pads, or alcohol inks

  • acrylic or watercolor paints

  The list goes on and on. And don’t feel like you can only pick one. Glue down some paper then scrape some paint across it. Tear out some pages from an old book and top with stamps.

  Step Three: Add Texture and Layers

  A flat ATC is a boring ATC. Make your artist trading card POP by adding texture and layers.

  Pieces of paper, fabric, and ribbon are great items to attach.

  Many household objects can be used with paint or inks to get the look you’re trying to achieve. Bubble wrap, tissue paper, and toilet paper tubes, to name a few. Artist trading cards are great for getting the imagination working.

  Step Four: Embellish!

  Now it’s time to make your card sparkle. Literally, if you’d like.

  This is where I really have fun. All those little things you bought because they were on sale or saved because you might need it someday finally get their time to shine.

  Sequins and lace and roses! Oh my!

  This card is going to be fancy. I can feel it.

  And voilà! You have yourself an artist trading card.

  Take a moment to sign and date the back. Some artists give their mini-works of art a title. I tend to do this when I make a set of cards that are similar.

  Cora’s Woven Trivets

  Cora also makes placemats using this same technique. This is a creative and fun way to use leftover fabric. If you don’t have selvage scraps you can take an old shirt or pair of pants and cut up strips to use. Wool sweaters work well, as after the project you can wash it in hot water and it will felt nicely.

  Materials

  • 4 pieces of stretcher frame (I used 10 inches); hammering into a scrap piece of wood works well, too

  • Nails and hammer

  • Scissors

  • Cardboard approximately 1.5 x 5 in.

  • Cut-up scrap fabric

  Step One: Before you begin, put the 4 corners together to create the frame and hammer nails about 3/4 of an inch apart. Take the fabric and tie it onto the first corner. Then begin to wrap it around the nails on the top and bottom.

  Step Two: Take the cardboard and cut triangular notches with the scissors. Take the fabric from the ball and wrap it around the cardboard (this will be your shuttle).

  Step Three: Tie a knot to the first row.

  Step Four: Take the cardboard shuttle and begin to weave under and over. Continue this way until you reach the other side and tie down the end piece.

  Step Five: Remove the loops fr
om the nails. The loops will fill in from the expansion.

  Sculpey Clay Coasters

  Sculpey clay is great for crafting all sorts of things, not just beads. Here’s a quick and simple way to make coasters using polymer clay. If you’ve never worked with clay before, these clay coasters are a great starter project because there’s nothing too intricate and no special skills required. Instead, you’ll see how easy clay can be to use! If you like to craft to make gifts, these coasters make great bridal shower, wedding, and housewarming gifts.

  Materials

  • Sculpey Premo clay, 1 ounce per coaster

  • Clay roller

  • Disposable plastic cup

  • Parchment paper or foil

  • Baking sheet

  • Optional: stamps or other decorative materials

  Step One: Soften the clay by working it in your hands for a few minutes. Place it on a piece of parchment paper for rolling. You can select a color combination or one color.

  Step Two: Use a clay roller tool or a regular rolling pin you don’t use with food to roll out the clay to an even thickness. Although Sculpey is nontoxic, you shouldn’t mix it with tools and utensils you use in food preparation.