Prepared for Battle...

Well we are nearly there, the Battle of the Beadsmith begins tomorrow and the next 8 weeks will be Beading Madness! I am not sure what the beading equivalent of girding one's loins is but I have cleared my table, assembled a good selection of seedbeads, stones, accent beads, pearls and crystals to help me on my way. Many of the other contestants seem to have been limbering up with some big projects, but I am worried that I'll burn out if I try and do too much... Here is my workstation, and I can tell you now it will not look like this for long. If you hear a distant rumble it will be me, being buried under an avalanche of beads etc!

The OTTBS group have formed a cheerleading team to encourage those members who are participating ( 9 at the moment) so thanks to them in advance for their efforts in keeping us motivated! I'd also like to thank my anonymous donors who have been sending me treasures to add to the battle stash, it means a lot to have so much generous support!

All the best to everyone taking part, I hope we all enjoy the reveals as much as last years and look forward to some superlative pieces. I am hoping to pull a rabbit from the hat and use the materials I have to make something really special, but only time will tell!

The only thing left to do is get a good night's sleep (although I might be too excited) ready for the starter's pistol!