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Soulati-'TUDE!

The Happy Friday Series: Alternately Abled, Passionately Happy

07/26/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Alternately abled and passionately happy…all words of description. Let me explain a bit.

I consider myself alternately abled instead of disabled.

I contracted a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy after undergoing chemotherapy for cancer years ago which left me wheelchair bound.

I am also sight impaired due to Retinitis Pigmentosa.

I am blind in my left eye and have less than 5 degrees of vision in my right eye.

I am alternately abled because I can do most of what other people can do with the help of technology.
I admit I am limited in some things like climbing stairs, painting ceilings, or changing light bulbs in the ceiling fixtures.

But, most activities I need to accomplish on a daily basis I can handle by myself.

I am passionate

I consider myself a master at crochet.

I even teach the art to students locally.

I make everything from dishcloths to bedspreads.

I do seed bead weaving. I make jewelry pieces out of beads the size of mustard seeds which are laced on threads that are hand woven or loom woven into original designs.

I use a camera positioned over my work that projects an image onto a monitor to see what I am doing.

And I do paintings in ballpoint pen and colored pencil. Subjects for my paintings are most often flowers, birds and animals. I am fascinated at how I can take a common ballpoint pen and cause it to render beautiful flower petals or bird feathers.

And so you see, had it not been for me becoming “disabled,” I would probably have never taken the time to realize my passion. And now, everyday, I am able to find tremendous joy, happiness and gratitude for the usual and common things in my life. Today, I am still able to do the work I am so passionate about that brings me so much happiness.

About The Author

Brenda Dennis owns with a. She is wheelchair bound and legally blind. She crafts unique handmade jewelry by weaving original seed bead designs. She also stitches crochet pieces from dishcloths to bedspreads and doilies. She has recently begun to “paint” with ballpoint pens and colored pencils. Her artworks are displayed in various venues locally. Connect with her on and on Twitter @SuzyQue19605.

 

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Filed Under: Happy Friday Series Tagged With: brenda dennis, Crochet, Happy Friday, Happy Friday Series, muscular dystrophy, Retinitis Pigmentosa

The Happy Friday Series: Beads, Buttons And Crochet

05/31/2013 By Jayme Soulati

Zii-Designs-Necklace.jpgWho knew? A Bead & Button Show. And more surprising yet. I’m going to attend it!

Well, let’s start at the beginning. But what is the beginning, really? Was it when I was a child whose crocheting prowess entailed all of making a chain of unending stitches that I would stretch through the house so as to chart my progress?

Was it the doilies I would later crochet because they were fun to make even though no one uses doilies anymore – updated funky colors notwithstanding?

Maybe it was the miniature granny squares that I turned into Christmas ornaments to friends’ delight.

Steel Crochet Hook

Probably it was when my steel crochet hook connected with fine copper wire. At least that’s when I’d found my muse. Wire + vintage and re-fashioned beads = endless creative possibilities for shiny, sometimes elegant, sometimes whimsical necklaces.

Zii-Designs-Necklace.jpg

Why vintage and re-fashioned beads, you ask?

In short, because I was part of the first Earth Day (at a VERY young age), and environmental responsibility has remained at my core. By day, I run Terracom Public Relations, which since 1990 has helped innovative green organizations grow in size and impact. By night – or whenever I can – I am creating for my latest venture, zii designs.

Which brings me to the Bead & Button Show. I learned of it last year, shortly after I’d begun this jewelry-design adventure. This is no few-day gathering of beaders. Oh no. It fills out nearly two full weeks, drawing instructors from around the country: “The Biggest Consumer Bead Show in the World.” And it’s in Milwaukee, easily accessible from Chicago.

Well, life at Terracom prevented me from attending last year. But this year, I’ll steel away for a class and a hunt for more vintage beads. I suspect there will be a whole culture at this Bead & Button Show that could make for its own sociological study. I’ll be an interested observer.
And when I return, I’ll set my sights on a few boutiques I’ve targeted as prospective places to carry zii creations. (I do love the entrepreneurial pursuit.) My hope is I’ll be able to sell enough jewelry to sustain making more.

Because that’s what it’s all about. The joy of creating, of seeing how things come together. The breathless discovery of it all.

About The Author

Christine-Esposito.jpgChristine Esposito is founder and chief connection officer of Terracom Public Relations, chief crochet officer of zii designs and an amused owner of a retired racing greyhound.

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Filed Under: Happy Friday Series Tagged With: Arts, Bead, Christine Esposito, craft, Crochet, Crochet hook, Doily, Happy Friday Series, Terracom PR

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