Dear friends,
Happy Holidays! I hope you all are spending this week either relaxing or visiting and cooking with family & friends! Or all of the above:) During this time of year, I like to spend a little time reflecting on the past year’s accomplishments, and this year, I feel like I have accomplished a lot. First, I joined my local rock climbing gym and have been doing a lot of bouldering this year, as well as weekly yoga classes. I am so grateful to have discovered these activities as I have improved my strength, physical fitness, and cardiovascular health immensely. As they say, sitting is the new smoking, so I need to keep moving.. I can’t just sit around doing beadwork all day!






Also, my partner and I have been doing some summer hiking when it fits in our schedule. This past summer started off kind of rainy, but we still managed to hike 4 more of New Hampshire’s (48) 4000’ mountains: Mt. Waumbek, Mt. Moriah, Wildcat Mountain Peak A, and Mt. Adams. The hike to Mt. Adams was pretty epic! We took Lowes Path -> King Ravine Trail -> Chemin des Dames -> Airline Trail -> Mt. Adams (5793'). Hiking up Chemin des Dames was an incredible accomplishment- 800' of elevation gain in just 0.4 miles- one of the Terrifying 25!
As far as beadwork goes, I feel so proud of myself for selling my ‘Pretty in Poodles’ beaded collar necklace on Etsy. And I finally finished creating my new bead-embroidered flamingo cuff bracelet which is now available for sale on Etsy. And during the month of December, I kept busy working on a multiple-item custom order for a few different beaded dog pins. Here is one I finished beading recently: a 2-part pin featuring two Yorkie/Poodle dogs. The larger dog was inspired by a photo of the father, and the smaller dog is his pup!!
I do have a few goals for 2024. They include: hiking a few more 4000’ footers, doing a bit of traveling, and hiking a multi-day trek. And of course, I have goals to create some new and different dog pins (or other animals), and perhaps a small beaded portrait or two.. I have so many beading projects on my list and the list keeps getting longer! If you have any suggestions for beaded dog breeds or animal portraits, feel free to comment or send me a message via thelonebeader.com. Also don’t forget to check out my 25%-off New Year Sale on Etsy!
Thank you for your support and for your interest in my beadwork! I wish you all a happy, healthy 2024!
♥ Diana
Happy Holidays!!! I absolutely agree with you. Sitting around beading, etc. all day is just ugggg! Nature is stunning. :) Love the smiles. Thanks for sharing. Wonderful post.