Red Wine? Treasury

Here is my treasury for the week.... I say for the week, because although I had this treasury ready for at least 5 days, it's taken me all of that time to actually grab one!!! what a nightmare!!! I had both treasuries lists open all the time, and either they would open when I was fast asleep (3am) or I would get one and as soon as I would start typing the title, it disappeared!!!! enough to drive an old gal to drinking!!!! :-)

Here is my Red Wine? treasury featuring some gorgeous beads and beadwork - go check it out, click on the items, leave your comments - http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=11623 - it will expire on Tuesday 30th September, so don't put it off! :-)

Wishing everyone happy beading and a wonderful weekend!!!

Breast Cancer Project - Part 2 + my love for Sherry Serafini's work :-)

Here is my second square for the Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer fundraiser organized by Jeanette Shanigan (you can read more about it and see my first square in my previous post Breast Cancer Project - part 1 ) Again I was thinking of all the things I love so I started thinking of the sea, water, lakes with grass all round.... I've always felt the most comfortable in life when I've been in water, I love it, LOVE swimming, can spend my life swimming, although I rarely get to swim nowadays, I'm usually watching my 4 year old who can't :-)  so that's how  my second square came about.  

 

 

 

 

 

This square was actually finished about a week ago, but have been busy with both my "real" job and I've been working on a Sherry Serafini necklace.... I actually bought the pattern of one of her pieces - A Mermaid's Attire from Bead Pattern Central, collected more or less all the necessary beads I needed for it - although I couldn't find some and had to substitute with the closer thing I could find or I was happy with -  and started beading!!!! and I can't tell you what a joy and how much I've learnt from following this pattern!!!!  I would really like to fly to the US and attend one of her classes... but as that is simply not feasible at the moment :-) this was the closest best thing for me :-)  I LOVE Sherry Serafini's work.... I mean I actually drool over  her work!!!! whenever I'm stuck or am lacking inspiration, the first thing I do is get all my books that have her work in and I go to her web site - her amazing work just does it for me!!!! I'm crazy about it, and I drive all my friends a bit crazy too talking about her, especially as most of them have absolutely no interest in beadwork!!! :-) anyway... :-D this is what I've been doing all week with all my waking free moments.... I keep having these aha moments while I'm beading... this necklace is just beautiful, and how she's designed all the different elements to fit, is amazing.  I've never followed instructions before to make someone else's creation, it's not something that interests me.... I like looking at the instructions to work out how it's done, but to actually execute the whole thing, to me, seems pointless.... as I miss out the excitement of creating something unique and mine! that to me is the challenge, not whether I can follow the instructions, which by the way I can't, as I have no patience.... even with this piece, which I'm madly in love with, I've had to make some changes, some out of me trying to correct mistakes I'd made without having to destroy hours of work, and some because I couldn't find the exact beads I needed so I had to substitute quite a few - and I'm a bit sorry about that, because I would have loved to have made the necklace as it is intended to be, but.... :-)
I am so glad I bought this and that I'm actually doing it, and not just reading the instructions - it's an amazing learning experience for me, thorough enjoying it!!! :-)

I'm not sure when I will have the whole thing finished - so far I'm about 1/3 of the way, but the next bit is using a technique I have not used before and therefore have no idea how long it will take me to do it.... but as soon as I finished it, I'm definitely posting a picture!!! so come back soon :-D

Bead Art Originals - Items of the week

Here are this week's Bead Art Originals items of the week please visit the below link to see what special offers have been offered on these items: 
http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com/2008/09/bao-items-of-week-sep-22-28.html

My BAO item of the week is the Merry Widow Bracelet

 

Purchase and pay for this item between now and 28th September and receive 10% off + free shipping for this item.

Breast Cancer Project - Part 1

For the last couple of years, Jeanette Shanigan has been collecting donated beaded squares and sewing them into beaded quilts to be auctioned off at the Bead&Button Show.  Each year they have a theme - 2007 was butterflies, 2008 was roses.  (Click the links to look at the amazing quilts!)  They raised $4,400 last year auctioning off the rose quilts.  Here's a link to an article posted on the Bead&Button Show web site about all of the money raised through the Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer fundraiser.

Susan of Clinckscales Arts brought this wonderful project to the attention of the EtsyBeadWeavers members to participate in Jeanette Shanigan's "Bead It Forward" - Bead Artists Against Breast Cancer.  The theme for 2009 is hearts.   The squares are only 1.5"x1.5" (3.8cmx3.8cm) and can be any form of beading (must be attached to a backing material) - embroidery, peyote, brick, raw, etc.  The quilts are called 'bead it forward' because you are supposed to make four squares - one to be sent to Jeanette Shanigan to be included in a quilt and three to send to beady friends with a copy of the rules to inspire them to make a square too.  The deadline is March 15, 2009, and once Jeanette receives all the squares she sews them together into quilts.

Here's a link to the pdf file that you must include with your squares. 

I woke up this morning (too bloody early - 4.30 am!!!!) and as I could not sleep I thought I would get a start on beading these squares.  My son woke up a couple of hours later complaining of pains in his foot, and the poor thing couldn't walk at all - well, he was limping really badly - he went to our neighbours yesterday who have a full sized trampoline.... and I think he may have done something to his ankle.... so as doing anything with him today was out of the question, I gave him some colouring paper and I continued to make my square!

As mentioned above, the theme is "hearts", so I started thinking of all the things I love, and of course the first thing that came to mind is my son!!! and for some reason I started thinking of my pregnancy and all the different feelings I had while I was going through it, which explains this explosion of colours,  I guess!!! :-) Please note, I have included some yellow - ok maybe only a token, but if you read yesterday's post you will understand what an amazing achievement that is for me!!! :-)

Here is my first square and how it developed (I've already started on the second, but you will have to wait till the next time to see it).

 

 

I have to tell you.... this was really, really difficult for me to do!!! I find it extremely hard to work on such a tiny scale (1.5" x 1.5") but even more difficult than the size itself, was having to keep to the exact boundaries.  This is definitely the smallest piece of bead embroidery I have made up to date... and I have 3 more to do!!! :-)

If you are interested in participating in this wonderful project please go to http://shanigansbeadshenanigans.com/ for more information - it's for a GREAT cause!!!!

Yellow Mellow Treasury

I've been watching the treasuries since yesterday... and was unable to stay up till 2 am waiting for them to open up last night... but managed to get one this afternoon!!! :-)

I love yellow, but for some reason can't seem to use it as a colour in my own work.... the closest I've come to it is when I made my Midsummer Nights Dream necklace and used yellow freshwater pearls and light yellow Swarovski  crystals... but that is as far as I have been able to include this gorgeous happy colour in anything I made :-) a small step, but a huge effort!!! I don't know the why and how, but it is what it is! :-) a phobia???? :-) I hope not, wouldn't like to be scared of any colour!!! :-)

so as I'm yellow-deficient I thought I would create a yellow treasury, in the hope that I can finally use some of my gorgeous yellow beads I've been stocking up in the hope that if I owned them, saw them on a regular basis, they would eventually speak to me and I would be able to use them!!! :-) otherwise, anyone interested in some yellow beads? ;-)

 

 

 

This treasury expires on Monday 22nd September - go check it out, leave a comment ;-)

 http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=10014

Happy beading and wishing everyone a wonderful weekend ahead!!!

Black Panther Bracelet and BAO Item of the Week

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here it is... as promised ;-) my Black Panther Bracelet!!!! It took me a while to decide how I would make the straps for this bead-embroidered Labradorite cabochon - I knew I wanted something relatively stiff and simple, but at the same time I also wanted the joints, that would be attached to the centrepiece, to be flexible.  Up until now the only bead-embroidered bracelets I made where the cuffs which have a bronze hard base to them.... and then it came to me... why not make the straps by bead-embroidering them without the metal base!!!  sometimes I am a genius - although why I haven't tried doing this before is beyond my comprehension !!!! :-) I'm so pleased with the results that I may start making some more of this type of bracelet (without the hard base).... I definitely want to make one for myself!!!! I've really fallen in love with this stone!!!!! I have one small round cabochon left, that I haven't bead-embroidered yet....  It could be just the right thing for my bracelet... we'll see... maybe a pendant? I'll start it off and see where it leads me to.... come back and find out! :-)

 

BAO Items of the week - go check them out, see what specials are being offered this week on these gorgeous creations!!!!!

 http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com/2008/09/bao-items-of-week-sep-15-21.html

My item for this week is Brick and Pearl Bracelet - I'm offering 10% off and free shipping if you buy and pay for this item between now and the 21st September!!!!