Saturday, 29 December 2007

Ancient Bronze Treasure

Here is the finished piece that I originally posted on 15th December 07.... I'm sooooo pleased with it!... am reluctant to sell it!!! :-)


My Etsy Beadweavers Red Challenge Necklace

Here is my first entry for the Etsy Beadweavers Red Challenge.... I had a lot of fun making it, because it forced me to combine colours that I may not have otherwise used together.... and I do love red!.... although had a hard time finding red beads in my stash..... but that made it all the more fun, because the challenge fuelled my creativity....

I'm really pleased with the result, especially as it is only my second-ever bead-embroidered piece.... I LOVE it! .... and hope you'll love it too and vote for me :-) (see below)
Bead embroidered and spiral-stitched, made of Czech seed beads, Japanese triangles, Swarovsky crystals, Japanese bugles, embellished with fringes of seed beads and Swarovsky crystals. The centrepiece measures 2 ½” x 2 ¾”, with an additional 3” of fringe, and hags from a 19” long spiral-stitched rope embellished with dark red Swarovsky crystals, complemented by a square-stitched toggle. The back of the centrepiece is lined with real suede.

Please visit http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/ from the 7th January and view all the wonderful entries at the EBW’s blog and vote for your favourite piece from a selection of very talented bead weavers.

Friday, 28 December 2007

Updated picts.


Avia came round today, and took photos of some of my new work....

Here is an updated and finished photo of Judy's necklace.

I LOVE it! but best of all... she loves it!!!!! :-)

It may have taken a few attempts to get there.... but have already started my second piece and in my mind have already started my third (which I'm going to make for myself) :-)

Very pleased with the result!!!

Got a bit of work to get the photos uploaded, hopefully in a couple of days all will be revealed... :-)

till then...

Tuesday, 25 December 2007

Judy's B-day Neckalce




I haven't written for a while.... been busy making Judy's birthday present.... the inspiration, suggested by Judy, was a peacock... here is my interpretation of it.... after two previous scrapped attempts.... I now like it!.... I hope Judy likes it too!!! :-)








Tuesday, 18 December 2007

While I was sleeping.......

What an amazing awakening.... :-)


Well, as usual, I woke up at an un-G-dly hour.... when the birds haven't even started chirping.... the skies are still dark.... the air is crisp and cold..... and all around the city sleeps... except for me and my gorgeous son :-) .... and of course the first thing I do is check my e-mails, etsy shop, and blog.... (what else can one do at 5 am!!! :-) ) .... and to my surprise I received a message from Carol Dean of SandFibers who makes beautiful handwoven beaded jewelry (http://www.sandfibers.etsy.com/) congratulating me on getting one of my pieces on the Etsy front page.... how exiting is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well it definitely made a difference to the number of hits I received on that piece..... over 900 in one night!!!!

Anyway, extremely honoured to be included on the front page when there are so many unbelievably talented artists on Etsy.... it made my day....


I also want to thank Carol (http://www.sandfibers.etsy.com/) for taking the time to explain to me how to capture the page so I can post it on here to keep as record, thank you!

Monday, 17 December 2007

The age of bronze - Etsy Treasury


As you may have noticed.... I'm in a bronze phase :-) so I compiled a list for the Etsy treasury reflecting my current.... hmmmm... obsession :-)

enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=19085




Saturday, 15 December 2007

a new technique learnt.... a new necklace created....

I'm sooooo exited!!!!!.... I just received the most amazing book from amazon.... The Art of Bead Embroidery by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini.... What a book!!!!!!! Amazing!!!!!! Probably one of the top 2 best beading books I ever bought! and I have quite a few....

This book is first of all visually stunning and also incredibly inspirational! The techniques are explained brilliantly.... in all, in case I didn't make myself too clear.... I LOVE this book!!!!!!! and I LOVE Sherri Serafini (http://www.serafinibeadedjewelry.com/) amd Heidi Kummli (http://www.freespiritcollection.com/)!!!!!! I especially LOVE Sherri Serafini's bead embroidered handbags... you must check them out!!!!! Simply stunning ART!!!! (http://www.serafinibeadedjewelry.com/handbags.html) I LOVE them for producing this book and sharing their work and techniques....
So after many, many hours of drooling over the book (I think that I may need a new copy soon), I finally sat at my beading table and beaded..... and this is my very first attempt at bead embroidery, and although not finished, and a really bad scanned photo, I couldn't wait to share it.... as soon as it is finished and Avia comes to take proper pictures, of course I will put it up for sale on etsy.... :-) but I couldn't wait till then, because I'm so proud and pleased with the result.... and especially how the back turned out... ( I used an old suede shirt, which I cut up, for the backing.... I like the idea of recycling my clothes.... I hated the shirt but I loved the suede, and now it's being used, instead of hanging at the back of my cupboard.... and there's enough suede there to probably do a few hundred projects)
I can't believe how natural it felt to bead embroider.... I guess I had some strange mental block against trying it.... but not only I took to it like a duck to water (thanks to the amazing book), but I thoroughly enjoyed making it and can't wait to start another one!!!! here is the result.... front and back... Looking forward to starting a new one, as soon as my schedule allows it :-)


yet to be titled (and properly photographed) will post the finished piece properly photographed at a later stage

Thursday, 13 December 2007

my first etsy treasury

I've been a bit busy with work and life.... but somehow managed to put together my first etsy treasury list.... so much talent on etsy, it was hard to chose just a few pieces....

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=18641

Wednesday, 12 December 2007

Wednesday, 5 December 2007

Goodbye "Grey & Bronze Jellyfish"....

Well, I had to say good bye to one of my pieces today :-D.... I went to my bead supplier this morning, to pick up my order, and ended up selling my "Grey & Bronze Jellyfish" necklace that I was wearing for the first time.... I'm so chuffed not only that I sold it, but also that it was bought by a lovely lady, (Gloria from Bogal, www.bogal.biz) who happens to see a LOT of beaded jewelry, as well as making her own.... What a GREAT compliment!!!!! am completely over the moon... and couldn't have happened at a better time.... I was feeling a bit low this morning.... weighed myself.... that's never a good thing.... or at least rarely (loss being the good thing ;-D).... and.... was becoming a bit discouraged regarding my work.... although, I have had nothing but amazing positive feed back.... I guess the combination of "winter blues", the scales pointing far too much to the right, and the fact that I haven't really sat down to bead for a while, made me lose my self-confidence.... but now it's back!!!! :-D thanks to my lovely supplier, not only for bestowing upon me such a huge compliment, but also because now I have a new stash of beads to play with!!!! :-D

Off to pick up my little monster now :-D and then we are off to my sister's house to light the second candle for Hannuka with her 4 kids!!! One thing I know for sure..... the scales won't be pointing further to the left tomorrow!!!.... only 6 more nights of Hannuka and then back on a diet! :-D

Tuesday, 4 December 2007

Finally.... how it all started

After a whole month, of finally dealing with opening my etsy shop (http://www.triz.etsy.com/).... dealing with my REAL job (the one that pays my bills) and setting up this blog.... I finally managed to sit down in front of my beads and bead!!!! which is after all how and why I got to starting this blog.... and now, I finally get to sit down and write my first entry... :-D

My name is Triz, I live in Israel with my gorgeous 3 year old son and 2 dogs... I work from home and somehow ended up attending 4 beading classes (real basic) at my local bead shop....

Suddenly memories of joy flooded back to me.... and I started remembering how much I LOVED beading as a child... I started remembering how I used to bead weave on a cardboard-box loom(made by me).... I used to make bracelets with names.... I remember making them with each individual name for my whole class and giving them as going-home-presents at my birthday party.... I also remember making them in Forte dei Marmi (Italy) with my holiday friend Nicoletta, and selling them at the beach, and on the sidewalk in front of her house....

I remember how much I enjoyed beading.... how passionate I was about it... but what I can not remember is, how or why I stopped.... I have no recollection of making that decision, not to bead ever again.... where are my beads from then?.... the only thing I can think of, is when moving from Italy to England, at the age of 12, somehow all my beads got lost in the move (or thrown out by my parents) ... and somehow I just forgot about it.... I wasn't happy about the move, I guess losing my beads didn't worry me as much as losing my friends and all that was familiar to me....

so... here I am....28 years later.... and beading makes me just as happy as it made me then.... with one difference, I no longer use a loom, I hand bead weave or bead crochet my pieces... I'm obsessed.... I think, dream, breath beads!!!!.... hence the name to this blog ;-D

Am looking forward to filling these pages with my thoughts and my beadwork..... but now must make dinner and prepare the Hannuka candles.... my son is very exited!!! :-) and so am I! :-D

Wishing those of you who celebrate Hannuka, a very happy one.... don't forget: 1 doughnut = over 800 calories :-D