Maricopa resident draws a bead on Christmas decor

When Julie and Andrew Rosko drove cross-country into Maricopa with their three dogs last Christmas, they had sold off nearly everything in Florida.

That meant a lifetime worth of arts and crafts, including a virtual crafting cottage, was gone. It meant practically no Christmas décor.

For Julie Rosko, a habitual crafter since childhood, the move was an opportunity to try new crafts to enhance a new home with a very personal touch in time for this Christmas.

“I’ve got to have my crafting or I wouldn’t survive,” she said.

Over the years, she has done quilts and potholders and purses and hooked rugs and dresses and baking and cake decorating and rose-making and scrapbooking and card-making (her default craft of choice). She’s also an organizer by nature, and professionally, she was a hair-dresser. What she had never done was beading.

As the Roskos were settling into their new home (and Andrew created another crafting room), Julie discovered a new craft – homemade Christmas ornaments constructed of tiny seed beads and other accoutrements. She decided to give that a try, too.

Most of the beading projects are removable covers for ornament balls that can be stored easily in the off-season. Some are beaded completely around the ornament and need a different level of care. There are waterfalls, pineapples, snowflakes, double-deckers and a new use for earring holders.

“You can be very creative with dangles,” she said.

In books and on the Internet, beading patterns are endless. The patterns tend to be mathematical but not always simple.

“Beading is a challenge,” she said. “Two ornaments made me cry, I was so frustrated.”

With videos to enhance book instruction, she eventually was able to work them out, as Andrew knew she would.

In Florida, Rosko was on a local Craft Council and did the craft shows with her huge artificial roses. With Andrew frequently on the road, she had also been part of an informal “Roadie Wives” club exchanging crafts and recipes.

She loves the networking with fellow crafters when she can find them – it has not been as easy in Maricopa. And despite the huge number of artistic, homemade items in their very organized home, that does not spill over into craft shows. She said there is little payoff for the amount of time, money and heart put into her crafts.

Beading, she discovered, can be an expensive hobby, but Rosko knows where and how to find deals on supplies. Yet it has still been an investment. Even books on beading are expensive.

While she gives them as gifts, that has not been the point of her venture. In fact, parting with one of her creations is like giving up a child, so she is selective in the process.

“I feel a lot of joy in giving them to someone who understands and appreciates what goes into them,” she said.

That has been especially true of her Christmas ornaments. She started working on her collection of ornaments in May, knowing how long it would take.

“In a hot summer, it’s something to do inside,” she said.

Her timing paid off.

A year after their arrival, the Roskos’ white Christmas tree is loaded with Julie’s unique creations. Andrew had the idea of using clear ornament balls, the unexpected result being multiplied light reflections. They had to use dowel rods to strengthen the tree for the ornaments.