Monday, 30 August 2010

Queen Boudicca – OOAK Cuff

Remember the Queen Boudicca Necklace I posted a few weeks ago? I wrote at the end how I wished I had another same-shaped cab from Lisa Peters Art so I could make myself a similar necklace? Well… shortly after I posted my blog, Carol Dean from SandFibers contacted me, telling me she had 2 similar cabs (also from Lisa Peters Art) and that she would send them to me the next day!!! How generous is that?!?!?

A week later I got them in the mail and eagerly started making myself the necklace (of course I forgot to take photos, but it’s similar to the original except for instead of hanging from a beadwoven necklace it hangs from a 3-strand leather choker, mainly because I was too lazy to beadweave a whole necklace just for me & because I was running out of black matte seed beads)… I love my new necklace!!!!!!!!!!!!! but Carol Dean sent me 2 cabs… hmmm what to do with the second one??? :-)

I started beading…. and the next thing I know… it developed into this cuff:

Queen Boudicca – OOAK Cuff

Boudicca - cuff 02 copy

Boudicca - cuff 04 copy

My only regret is that I can’t show you this piece in real life… it is so amazing…. powerful…. I just love it!!!

and as I have Carol Dean to thank for her generosity which led to my new necklace and this new cuff… I wanted to show some of SandFibers gorgeous beadwork that is for sale!


Click on the pictures to be taken to the listings for these cuffs and don’t forget to browse her shop for a huge selection of beadwork!!! SandFibers also offers lots of patterns for sale!!!

Thank you so much Carol Dean for those cabs, they really made my day and now I’m the proud owner of a incredibly gorgeous necklace! :-)

Sunday, 22 August 2010

Bollywood Nights

My palette tends to be quite monochromatic… although I love using colour, I usually try and stick to one or two colours within one piece and tend to play more with textures and shades or variation of a colour… but next month’s EtsyBeadWeaversBollywood challenge allowed me to expand my usual colour use and create something using contrasting bright colours. As I mentioned, the challenge is Bollywood and when I think of Bollywood, or anything Indian for that matter, I think of bright colours, bright gold, sparkly gemstones, richness, excess… and armed with these adjectives I set out to create something for the challenge… I started off with the idea of making a necklace… but that’s still on my beading table… and whilst I was beading component for it, I veered off and made some earrings…

bollywood princess - earrings 01 copy
I do like these… but something about them is not 100% right! for a start, you can’t see in this photo but take my word for it, the top component shows too much beadbacking … so I've decided to remake these… maybe using smaller crystals… maybe doing away with the top component altogether… am not sure yet… will have to sleep on it… but what I did finish and am so happy with is a new cuff:

Bollywood Nights – Cuff

bollywood princess - cuff  04 copy

I really love using all these bright colours!!! I now just have to think of what to do with the component I made for the necklace….
I’m trying to work out what type of strap/chain/base to make for it… sometimes it comes easily…. sometimes it doesn’t :-)

So unless I come up with something spectacular for the necklace… which I don’t think I will… the cuff will be my entry for the September EtsyBeadWeavers Bollywood challenge!

Voting will start on the 9th September and run through till the 15th… don’t forget to go to the EBW blog during those dates and vote for your favourite piece!!! http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

Friday, 20 August 2010

The Next Generation + BAO Item of the Week

I spent the last 2 months together with Ethan! We’ve had a ball!!! We spent most of our time at my parent’s pool which overlooks the sea… it’s a hard life! ;-)

pool 05

Ethan has mastered his front crawl… and I’m so proud of him!!! I love swimming and the fact that we can now swim together, rather than me following around the pool having mini heart attacks every time he goes underwater, has been an incredible pleasure!!!

et swim 09

He started showing an interest in photography… another of my hobbies…. so I gave him my old digital camera and he takes it with him everywhere!!! The pool, walking the dogs, the supermarket…. everywhere!!!

et swim 07

Then one day… out of the blue… after I received my loom in the mail… he said: “mummy I want to learn how to bead too! I want to make bracelets and then you can sell them on the intranet (internet ;-D) for me and give me the money so I can buy lots of toys!” :-) my heart melted… the next day we went out looking for a kiddie bead loom… it took me a few days to find it… but we eventually did!

here he is, hard at work making his first bracelet which will be a birthday present for his cousin Shani who just turned 4! :-)

et bead 01 et bead 02 et bead 03

How precious is that!!!!! I couldn’t be prouder!!!! :-)

As for me… I’m busy making the next EBW Challenge “Bollywood”….

and last, but not least… here is my BAO Item of the Week:

Cleopatra – Necklace

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Purchase and pay for this necklace between now and the 26th August and receive 5% off + free worldwide shipping!

Visit the BAO blog to see all the specials our talented member are offering this week: http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com/

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!!! :-)

Tuesday, 17 August 2010

Queen Boudicca

“…So the Queen Boadicea, standing loftily charioted,
Brandishing in her hand a dart and rolling glances lioness-like,
Yell'd and shriek'd between her daughters in her fierce volubility….”

From “Boadicea” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Boudicca (also known as Boadicea) was the warrior Queen of the Celtic Iceni tribe; a patriotic Briton, a heroine, a woman and a leader who stood her ground against foreign invasion.

This necklace was created for the next Bead Art Originals Colour Inspiration – Black, dark green & copper with Boudicca as inspiration for the beginning of September. The necklace was created around a fellow Bead Art Original member’s (Lisa Peters Art) cabochon.

Queen Boudicca – OOAK Necklace

Boudicca - Necklace 04 copy

Boudicca - Necklace 03 copy

I’m so in love with this necklace!!! and I’m so reluctant to part with it!!! it looks soooo good on me!!! and it’s just so me!!! I wish I had another same shape cab from Lisa Peters Art and I would make myself another one in a heartbeat… but alas, Lisa’s work is OOAK (I have to ask her if she has any similar cabs in the same shape)….

Monday, 16 August 2010

Revisiting Old Friends

If you knew me really well…. you would know that I consider a little trinket hanging over a piece of string or leather, my most prized possession!!! Apart from when I get dressed up and actually go out…. which is so (soooooo) rare lately, I love wearing really simple jewellery…. the same sort of jewellery I wore when I was 16!!! :-) OK… so I’m immature and refuse to grow up + I’m a rebel at heart! :-)

About 2 years ago, I made this pendant which was so perfect for me! So I decided to keep it!!! If you have been following my blog you may have seen it… and in case you are new or have simply forgotten here are my posts from 2 years ago:
http://triz-beadingmania.blogspot.com/2008/07/not-sure-where-this-is-going.html
http://triz-beadingmania.blogspot.com/2008/07/keeping-it.html

One of my favourite pieces of jewellery I own!!!

mine copy
I wear this all the time…. and I mean all the time! I go swimming with it (something I would definitely not advise anyone to do, especially with beadwoven jewellery), shopping with it, walk the dogs in it… basically anytime I want to wear something turquoise and I don’t want to ruin some of my other prised possessions… I wear it! :-)
Whilst wearing it…. during the last 2 years… I’ve been complemented on it… by people who usually wouldn’t even look at jewellery… but in the last month, people actually asked me to make them some… so of course I obliged :-) I made a smaller version for a lovely lady I met at my gyno!!! :-) and 2 more for a mother and daughter who come to Israel on holiday every year and we became friends last year at the pool…. so I thought… why not make a few more of these to sell in my Etsy shop… and I did! :-)

Zebra Jasper Donut - Pendant

zebra jasper donut 01 copy

Turquoise Mosaic donut - Pendant

turquoise mosaic donut 03 copy

Larvikite Donut - Pendant

black velvet donut 02 copy
I really enjoy making these!!! so as soon as I can find some more donuts that I’m happy with (I’m really, REALLY fussy) I will probably make more!!! :-)

I know these are very simple… but I love their simplicity and design…. having said that, come back tomorrow and check out a gorgeous, GORGEOUS new bead embroidered piece I made for this month’s Bead Art Original colour challenge!!! the challenge is: Black, dark green, copper and bronze (optional). I’m debating whether I should part with it… that’s how much I LOVE it!!!

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

EtsyBeadWeavers Challenge – Time to vote!

The August EtsyBeadWeavers challenge is currently open for votes!

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My entry is Golden Galaxy (entry # 25)

Golden Galaxy 03 copy

Please visit the EBW blog from now till the 15th August and vote for your favourite piece! http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

Monday, 9 August 2010

Beadembroidered Bag – Work in Progress I

Some of you may have heard me say this before… one of the reasons I was attracted to beadweaving in the first place is because I wanted to make bags and use beadwoven components on the bags…. we are now talking about 5 years ago, and apart from one previous attempt at making one, I’ve kind of put it on my “have-to-get-to-it-one-day” list… and I can promise you one thing… that list is really, REALLY long!!! :-)

About 3 weeks ago I order a beadembroidery bag kit from Ann Benson at BeadsEast.com… This is the first time I ordered a kit! and the reason I ordered it was because I have no idea how to construct a beadembroidered bag… and as I’m unable to attend any of Sherry Serafini’s classes, which is something I would LOVE to do, due to the fact that I don’t live in the US…. :-( I thought getting this kit would hopefully start me off!!! Sadly, the kit still hasn’t arrived and I’ve become extremely impatient so I decided to throw caution to the wind and attempt to make one… No idea how I’m going to put it all together… but I’ll improvise! :-)

Here are some photos (please excuse the quality, they were taken on my new mobile phone) of my work in progress, I had no clear idea of the design, only of the shape of the bag and the fact that I wanted to use some of my Lisa Peters Art’s cabs that I bought in the last couple of years.

Some of the mess as I’m trying to decide on a colour scheme and design (ceramic cabs from Lisa Peters Art):

beademb bag 01

Paper template of shape + Lisa Peters Art button:

beademb bag 02

More mess, more beads as I’m slowly picking out complimentary bead for the LPA cabs:

beademb bag 03

Finally started and glued main cabs (more may be added later, I’m not sure) – There are some German glass cabs, a couple of Swarovski navettes, one LPA heart shaped cab and one LPA button all glued on my favourite beadbacking purchased from Nicole Campanella of Beadwright:

beademb bag 04

and finally some beading:

beademb bag 05

I’ve added some textured fabric for contrast:

 beademb bag 06

This is as far as I got… it’s a slow process…. I think mainly due to not having a clear idea of what I want to do with it and how to finish it… hopefully I won’t give up!!! Something I’ve been known to do when I’m not 100% happy with something! :-)

I’m hoping that my kit arrives soon, maybe that will inspire me and take away some of this irrational fear… coincidentally, this morning I was browsing Facebook and found the most gorgeous beadembroidered bag… I LOVE it, so I’m going to share it with you!

Bead Embroidered Tapestry Pouch by Susan A. Pierle of beadedartjewelry

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I really love this bag, and love all of Susan’s beautiful jewellery… I love her designs, her style and her use of colour… if you are not already familiar with her work, go and check her out:  http://www.beadedartjewelry.blogspot.com/

I don’t think my first beadembroidered bag will come anywhere near as close to this beautiful piece… but it’s my prototype for future bags…  hopefully they will get better! :-) I will post more work in progress as I move along with it… so stay tuned!

Saturday, 7 August 2010

Tudor Splendour

I was looking in my jewellery case today and realized that I forgot to post a necklace and bracelet I made sometimes in April or May. I made it straight after the Purple Rain necklace and had to wait a long time to take photos of it, because the light was really bad… but I did take photos, a few months ago, I just completely forgot to post them!!! Where is my head??? Frying in this incredibly hot and humid weather I guess! :-)

No more procrastinating!!! Here are the necklace and bracelet:

Tudor Splendour – Necklace

tudor splendor - necklace 01 copy

tudor splendor - necklace 03 copy


Tudor Splendour – Bracelet

tudor splendor - bracelet 02 copy
Both were beadwoven in Right Angle Weave (RAW) with loads of gorgeous dark brown Swarovski pearls and embellished with bronze and orange Japanese seed beads and orange Swarovski crystals… I love working with Swarovski pearls!!! I really do!!! They just feel and look so good!!!

Time for bed now… the weekend is over here and tomorrow is another day… Sunday is a working day in Israel… I miss having a 2 day weekend!! but to all of you who have Sunday off…. enjoy the rest of your weekend!!! :-)

Friday, 6 August 2010

Bead IQ Trivia Sweepstakes‏

Artbeads.com has just launched a new contest called the ‘Bead IQ Trivia Sweepstakes.’ You can test your bead knowledge by taking the short quiz and then enter the sweepstakes for a chance at winning a $250 ‘Bead Genius’ Prize Package, which includes a $100 Artbeads.com Gift Card and $150 worth of beading and jewellery supplies.

Unfortunately for me, the sweepstakes is only open to US and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) 18 years of age and older. So if you are eligible, go and enter before September 16, 2010 by clicking on the picture below!!!

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Good luck! :-)

Sunday, 1 August 2010

Golden Galaxy – EBW August Entry

It’s been a while since I entered one of the EtsyBeadWeavers challenges, months in fact!… and that’s not like me, I usually try and enter each month but between being busy and uninspired, I failed to do so! Shameful!!! The last time I entered was in March with 1001 Nights for the Fairy Tale Challenge… so I really wanted to make sure that I made something for the “Silver & Gold” August Challenge… and this is what I made:

Golden Galaxy – OOAK Necklace

Golden Galaxy 03 copy

I wanted to create something that evoked the style and glamour of Hollywood, something that I could see being worn on the Red Carpet and at the same time could see myself wearing at an evening function or even at a day function, with a white summer dress, reminiscent of ancient Greek style of dress where the women wore white dresses with bright gold jewellery. Golden Galaxy was created with the images of the style of ancient Greece in my mind.

Golden Galaxy 01 copy
Voting will begin on the EtsyBeadWeavers blog on 9th August and will end on the 15th. Make sure you visit the blog during that time and vote for your favourite!!!

http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com