I have now written quite a few blogs that deal more with my illness, CFS/ME, than with my beading.
The two are inextricably linked. I only discovered beading after I became ill. At first, it was therapy to help me. Then it gradually evolved into a means of earning a living. It still remains a therapy, and it feels like the only option open to me as I can’t work a ‘normal’ job.
But it is also a blessing. Not many people get to earn money from doing something that they love each day. Now, don’t get me wrong…this is not an easy way to earn money. It is a weekly and monthly struggle to bring in what I need. So, you won’t be finding millionaires in the beading world!
It has also led me to ‘meet’ in a virtual sense, a lot of lovely people with whom I share common interests and experiences. So, as I got to know more beaders, I realised how many others are also battling with CFS/ME. That seemed like a good reason for writing more about my experience.
I have used this blog to raise money for an ME clinic. I have also tried to raise awareness about what this illness is and how it feels. That latter aim feels pretty impossible. I frequently feel I don’t have adequate words to convey what ME/CFS really is. And, of course, none of us can truly understand what we haven’t experienced. But hopefully some of this helps in some small way.
You may or may not have noticed: my usual prolific rate of designing new beading tutorials has dropped off this year. So, why is that? Does it mean I’m giving up beading? You’ll have to wait for an answer to that second question! The answer to the first is, I’ve been working on a new…
I can say with absolute certainty that I’m not the only one sitting here with anxious thoughts flying around my head at 100mph. So, I thought I would try and do something positive with that. Something has occurred to me, and many others with chronic healthy conditions… We’re pretty expert at dealing with self isolation!…
How would you like to be able to enjoy more beading time? I’m about to share a little secret with you… But, before I do that, let me clarify something. In a recent blog, I mentioned that I would be sharing something that has significantly helped my recovery from CFS/ME. The brilliant thing is, this…
I think my Katie Dean beading update is long overdue! If you follow my blog or belong to my mailing list, you’ll know this has been a year of a few changes. So, time for more news… Non-Beading News Likewise, if you know me, you know about my health issues. (If you don’t, then this…
Now, I know this is usually a beading blog. So, you might be expecting to read a post about the #MillionsMissing beads that I’ve lost on planes, in trains, out in the garden, not to mention up my vacuum, over the last 16 years. But if that is your expectation, I’m afraid I’m going to…
Now, when I first published the photos of my Beehive beaded box, I had a lot of requests for a pattern. I’m sorry to disappoint you all, but I’m not going to be publishing the pattern for this project. However, I do have good news… So, rather than do nothing, I have come up with…
Well, I promised you a month of food-related beading blogs to go alongside my Marvellous Diet. So, I thought I would start with a topic that is also vaguely serious. I had a plan in mind, but wasn’t sure what to call this blog. So, I started testing some ideas on google and do you…
I love beads and I assume because you’re reading this that you love beads too. But, if you think you’re about to read a blog about why I love beads, I may disappoint you. If you have been in any kind of shop recently, you may have noticed that Valentine’s day is already front of…
If you’ve landed here because you’re wondering how to go about finishing beading thread on your project, that’s not what I’m going to talk about! Before I get started… …But I can point you in the direction of some help for that. So, if you’re learning the basics, check out this free tutorial. It talks…
Finally, I can let you all into a big secret I’ve been keeping. I’ve been doing some secret beading, at the request of Jewellery Maker TV… And I’ve made a beaded Nativity set! To be precise, this comprises eight characters and the Crib with Baby Jesus. So, this was a bit of a challenge for…
