More Chic... thank you Bettina!

Who would have thought that when I made the first Tropical Chic Choker for the EtsyBeadWeavers' Tropical Holiday Challenge that they would have turned out so popular!!!

Apart from the fact that I really enjoy making these and have made a few variations in different bright colourful combinations, I also made some for each of my sisters for their birthdays; one in pink for Silvia and one in dark navy/purple for Claudia, and had a custom order for a fuchsia one.... but I would probably not have thought of making these in black had it not been for my cousin who asked me to make her some... and so I did and am so thrilled with how they turned out that am actually thinking of making myself a set!!! I really love these!!! and so for the inspiration I need to thank Bettina!!! thank you so much!!! I hope you get to enjoy wearing the Black Chic Choker and Black Chic Earrings as much as I enjoyed making them!!!! and hope you love them as much as I do!!!

Apart from these... I have been working on a very luscious bead-embroidered cuff... it's so close to being finished... I think I'm about 45 minutes away from the end.... but have been so distracted lately, that it's has not progressed... this weekend I will be busy with my real job, so I don't think I'll get it done... but maybe, if I can find an hour to spare... and a few more to photograph it... I should have it posted, hopefully, by next week...

In the meantime... let me know what you think of the black version of these pieces... wishing everyone happy beading!!! :-)

BAO Items of the Week

Here are this week's items from the BAO.

My item this week is:

Pink Chic - Choker

I designed and made this piece for my sister Silvia's birthday which was last month. She likes very simple things and all that is pink (lucky for her she was blessed with 2 little girls, so she gets to do the pink thing a lot!).... and only silver!!! It took me a while to come up with the right combination of pinks and silver, but this was the result... and best of all she said she loved it (unless she only said so because she didn't want to hurt my feelings :-D).

Purchase and pay for this item between now and 8th March and receive 5% off + free shipping to anywhere in the world! :-)

Please visit the BAO and check out all the amazing bead artists that belong to this group and see what specials are being offered this week:
http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com/

Tropical Fever

As I mentioned a few days ago I had a few more of those little flowers beaded and I was asked to make a pair of earrings to complement the Tropical Chic Choker. Here they are, the earrings and a new choker:

I actually really enjoy making these little flowers, and with the amazing selection of Delica colours available, the possibilities are endless... will definitely be making more of these!!! :-)

Tropical Chic

My friends and family have been going on at me to make smaller jewellery... this is not and easy thing for me to do... although I'm not tall (5' 5") I have HUGE shoulders (years of swimming + genetics), I've always battled with my weight, so little tiny delicate pieces sort of get lost on me and.... I simply like big jewellery!!!! :-)
But I listened to my friends and decided to attempt creating smaller pieces.... so this weekend... while nursing yet another cold (have I mentioned my dislike for winter) I sat on my bed and made lots of little flowers in lots of different bright colours in an attempt to create something with them that was smaller than my usual.... and here are the results of those efforts :-)

Both necklaces are made with the same flowers. The flowers were brick-stitched using Delica and Czech seed beads around Swarovski crystal pearls. The green/fuchsia flower on the right is a variation of the other flowers, I just added some Swarovski fuchsia crystals on the outside (see, it's so hard for me to just stop, it needs to grow! :-D). ... Both necklaces were made with gold and nickel plated base metal chokers that I bought from my favourite bead supplier Bogal Ltd. These chokers are so cool! you can undo the bobble at the top and bead them, which is exactly what I did... funny thing I didn't know you could do that when I bought them, but am so glad I discovered that to be a possibility! :-)

I have about 4 more flowers that are screaming to be made up into something, I see more variations of this necklace coming up.... stay tuned! :-)

Oh yes, and almost forgot.... the left one with the blue flowers is my entry for the Tropical Holiday January/February EtsyBeadweaver Challenge.... voting starts on the 9th February... I will post more details nearer the time...

In the meantime... let me know what you think... are you a big or small jewellery person?

Happy beading everyone!!! :-)

BAO Item of the Week + Front Page

Feeling a bit better today... but still have a migraine... but not as bad as yesterday :-)

Here are this week's Items of the Week from the BAO - visit the blog and find out what offers are attached to these items for this week only!

My item this week is Picture Framed - Pendant
Purchase and pay for this item between now and the 18th January and receive 5% off + FREE shipping to anywhere in the world!

And.... a few days ago, apparently I made it to the Etsy Front Page!!! yeahhhh! of course I missed it! :-) but I was sent this screen shot:

 

Wall Flower Bracelet

Thank you so much to jibbyandjuna for getting me to the front page!!! Please take the time to visit their shop and check out their beautiful original pieces - see example below:

 

Yellow Blossoms Ring by jibbyandjuna

BAO Item of the Week

I didn't get around to posting the previous week's BAO Items.. just one of those weeks, sorry :-) ... but here are this week's 12 BAO Items of the Week - visit http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com/ and check out what special offers are attached to these beautiful items!!!

My item this week is: Midsummer Nights Dream Necklace which came 3rd in the EtsyBeadweavers’ July Challenge "Midsummer's Night Dream".

Purchase and pay for this necklace between now and the 11th January and receive 5% off + FREE shipping to anywhere in the world!!! :-)

I have managed to finish a necklace and a pair of earrings and I started a new cuff... if I get a chance to take photos this afternoon I will hopefully post the finished pieces in the next couple of day... so come back soon and check them out! :-)

Bead Art Originals Items of the Week

 

I haven't been able to post all week, mainly because I've been working on my Frozen Waters Neckpiece and as of this morning, even though the neckpiece isn't finished, I started a pair of earrings... I hope by the end of the week I'll have both posted, but in the meantime.... Here are this week's items from the Bead Art Originals - http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com/

My item this week is:
Wall Flower Choker

Purchase and pay for this gorgeous choker between now and 14th December and receive 5% off + free shipping to anywhere in the world! :-)

Bead Art Originals - Items of the Week

Even more Items of the Week from the talented Bead Art Originals!!!! 15 gorgeous creations!!!! go check them out and see what special offers are attached to these items from now till 7th December!!!
http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com

My item of the week is:

Blazing Flowers Earrings

Purchase and pay for these earrings between now and 7th December and receive 5% off + free shipping to anywhere in the world!!!

Blazing Flowers Earrings

I've been meaning to make these earrings to match the Blazing Flower Necklace since the necklace was finished.... but you know how it is.... there is always something else to do and so I just never got around to doing it... until, the other day I was asked to do so... and here they are! ;-)

Blazing Flowers Earrings

Blazing Flowers Necklace

 

This necklace came in 2nd place in the EtsyBeadWeavers April's Fire and Flowers Challenge :-)

And again a reminder.... EtsyBeadWeavers' November's Challenge is taking place right now!!! go and vote for your favourite piece!!!! :-) http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

ok 6.37 am, got to go and wake up my son and nurse this horrible headache I've had since yesterday.... I think I have a bit of a head cold! ;-p

and why is it he wakes up at 5 am on Saturdays but during the week I've got to wake him up????  one of those mysteries of life I suppose, but I will get my revenge when he becomes a teenager and wants to sleep in on the weekend... I'll make sure I make a huge amount of noise after he's been partying all night!!! :-D

Bead Art Originals - Items of the Week

Less than 2 months till Christmas and Hanukah, which this year coincides with the Xmas holidays...  Get your presents early and go and check out what special promotions the very talented BAO  is offering every week and get those special gifts early with added bonuses or discounts!!!
http://beadartoriginals.blogspot.com/

My item of the week is Pink Flower

Purchase and pay for Pink Flower between now and 9th November and receive 5 % off + FREE registered shipping to anywhere!!!

This is one of my favourite pieces!!! I posted this piece while I was working on it showing its progress. Click on the links below to see those posts:

Pink Flower - Neckpiece - Part 1
Pink Flower - Neckpiece - Part 2 - Finished

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!!!

Flaming Wall Flower

 

 

 

Finally managed to finish the bracelet I started a few days ago using those gorgeous large Delica beads.... and for some reason I seem to be stuck on making those brick-stitched flowers I've been making lately... but it works so well with this bracelet that I couldn't help myself!!! :-)

 

 

 

 

 

I'm quite happy with how the actual bracelet turned out!!! and it looks so much nicer, more vibrant and luscious in real life... but what I'm really unhappy with is my photography!!! yuck... and these are  the best of over 150 shots I took....  I just found it really hard to photograph the red and purple!!!  If anyone out there knows what I'm doing wrong or has any advice for photographing these 2 colours then please, please, leave me a comment with your suggestions, because I'm at my wits ends... and it's not the first time I had problems with these colours... I tried taking the photo in the flat, outside, in the shade, in more shade... although I must say the darker the shade the better it looked... but am still not very happy with the results... at least the bracelet turned out pretty nice!!! :-)

So unless someone can suggest how I can improve on photographing these 2 colours, I may have to stop beading using this combination, and I have to say, that would be a tragedy as it is one of my favourite colour combinations!!!!

For more information on Flaming Wall Flower Bracelet please visit  my Etsy shop, thank you! :-)

 

Front Page!!! treasuries!!! what a morning!!! :-)

 
4.45 am.... I wake up and begrudgingly I get out of bed, make my way to the living room... am blinded by the computer screen... and somehow I click on the Etsy main page... and lo and behold... unsure whether I'm still asleep or hallucinating... but there I am... bottom right-hand corner... yes it's real and it's me!!!!!! :-) well not me as such... but my Blazing Flowers neckalce!!!!

 

This treasury expires on Wednesday 23rd July: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=57760

Somehow the excitement so early in the morning is a bit too much to take!!! and after a pretty horrific day yesterday... what a lovely way to start the day!!! even if it is 4.45 am!!!!

Thank you so much !!!!

Olaladesigns

for getting me to the front page !!!!  I've only ever been on the front page once before!!! (the last time was in February with my Elizabethan Cuff)

 Go check out Olaladesigns for some really pretty jewellery!  here is one of my faves: 

Fleurs d'agate (agate flowers) necklace

 

 

 

 

 

So, still buzzing with excitement...  I go check out the rest of the treasuries.... and find myself in 2 more!!!!

This one created by wMarlaine, a fellow beadweaver, check out one of her gorgeous beadwoven pieces :

Shades of Green Freeform Peyote Bracelet 6

This treasury expires Thursday 24th July:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=58012

The 3rd treasury I found myself in was created by my dear Italian friend Ale from Ixela:

Both these treasury featured my Purple Balagan!!!

Ixela makes the most wonderful treasury... must be the Italian thing going on! :-) Some of you may know, but most probably don't, I was actually born in Italy and lived there till I was 12... in fact I could not speak a word of English until then.... Italy and the people of Italy hold a really special place in my heart!

Go check out her blog which is always full of beautiful finds that Ale manages to find on Etsy and her shop, here is an example of her gorgeous whimsical jewellery:

Red flower crochet necklace/bracelet

  This treasury expires on Wednesday 23rd July: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=57736

Thank you all so much!!!! You've really made my day!!!

Purple Flower - Finally finished!!! :-)

I started this piece in around April , and although the actual flower was finished and the necklace part started, I just could not get my head around finishing it. I seriously had a mental block against beading the band in herringbone stitch, but finally this week-end I literally hid in my bedroom and put my mind to finishing it... and am so glad I did!!! finally!!!! :-) I am terrible.... I get bored so easily!!! so the prospect of beading not one but 2 plain long bands was just more than I could take! :-) but once I put my mind to it, I really got into it, of course I was in front of the telly catching up with all the programs I missed during the week... and the next thing I know.... it's actually finally finished!!! :-) I have to say.... this piece looks so amazing on!!! I must find a model for it.... my 6' something houseguest is a bit too hairy to carry it off :-) + am not sure he would do it anyway ;-) but in the meantime.... here it is!!!!

Click on the links below to see previous posts of this piece in progress:
Purple Flower - Part 1
Purple Flower - Part 2

Today I'm teaching, and tomorrow is my son's 4th birthday, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to add this piece to my etsy shop.... but soon :-) In the meantime.... let me know what you think :-)

Happy beading everyone! :-)

I added this piece to my shop: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13349847

Midsummer Night's Dream

 

Midsummer Night's Dream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been working on this piece on and off for a while now... well, since EBW announced the July Challenge "A Midsummer Night's Dream".... and since then all I could envision was these flowers in these exact colours.... so it had to be made! :-)  and I'm really pleased with the result!!! :-D

I used these colours because they remind me of my teenage summer nights on holiday, where the grass looked really green and the skies were so dark they looked purple illuminated by bright lights from the stars in the sky. And because of the darkness the flowers change colour into a strange but wonderful world of greens and purples and lights.... My interpretation of an idyllic memory of how it was....

Six beautiful brick stitched flowers bead woven with freshwater pearls, purple and green fire polished Czech glass beads and Czech seed beads, and pale yellow Swarovski crystals appear to grow out from an ivory/cream brick stitched curved band and joined on the other side by 6 strands of seed beads leading to the bead woven complementary toggle and loop closure.

The largest flower measures 1 ½” (c. 4 cm) in diameter and the smallest 1” (2.54 cm). The band of flowers from the top of the first flower to the bottom of the last one measures 4 ¾” (12 cm). The neckline (inside) measures c. 19” (c. 48 cm).

One Of A Kind - OOAK

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Please go and visit the EtsyBeadweavers’ blog from the 7th of July and vote for your favourite piece from a selection of incredible beadwork.

http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

Voting only lasts 7 days, so don’t put it off! :-)

EBW Rock!!!!

EBW Rock! That is the title of this wonderful treasury... and that is exactly right!!! EtsyBeadWeavers do rock!!!!

I feel very honoured to have my Sunflowers included in this great selection! Thank you so much TotallyTwisted!!!

Go check it out, leave your comment, click on the gorgeous beadwork!!! :-) http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=42977
Some of my favourites beadweavers are in this treasury which runs out on Wednesday 7th May at 11.02 pm (US time) so hurry!!! :-)

If you would like to see how the Sunflowers evolved, please click on the links below to go to my January/February posts on this piece:

Creative Process - part 1

Creative Process - Part 2

Creative Process - Part 3

Treasury

Yeahh!!! I'm in a treasury... I haven't been in a treasury for so long, I don't even recall the last time I was in one.... although I have to say, that I haven't been able to enter the treasuries in such a long time, so I may have been in one and I wouldn't have known... but thank you so much TotallyTwisted for including my Pink Flower in this gorgeous flowery list!!!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=42185 This Treasury expires on the 4th May at 11.48 pm US time. Go check it out, leave a comment, check it out by clicking on each item ;-)

Purple Flower - Part 2

All going well :-) finished beading it (# 1), cut it and attached it to the ultrasuede (# 2)... all good... :-) I start beadweaving a band to make the loop to attach the flower to the crocheted rope.... and again!!! confusion and uncertainty!!! I actually quite like the effect the beadwoven band (# 3) has against the flower... so now I don't know what to do!!! :-) and that is how my next project started :-) so I'm going to sleep on it for a couple of nights before I make a decision and of course whichever I decide will then only create the next dilemma... to fringe or not to fringe? :-)

1. 2. 3.


Ok, so if any of you feel like giving me your tuppence worth on wether you prefer the white crochet rope or the lilac-ish beadwoven band, please feel free to do so by leaving me a comment... I will take all suggestions into consideration, because truthfully I like them both, but really, REALLY don't feel like making two of them :-) so help me decide!!! :-)


If you missed the first part of Purple Flowers please go to Part 1


I'm not sure how much beading and blogging I will be able to do this next week as my son is home from kindergarten all week!!! :-) It's Pesach (Passover) starting Saturday night. Most people hate this festival, mainly because of the dietary laws during this week (no bread, no pasta, no rice, no yummy food basically) but I actually love it (except of the food problems). I love it because it's spring and Israel just looks, smells and feels amazing. The weather is perfect, bright skies, lots of sunshine, longer days, no humidity, warm but not hot.... but most of all I love it because I was born on the 7th day of Pesach, so it's my Jewish birthday, and although I decided (last year) that I would no longer celebrate my birthdays, in an effort to forget how old I am and therefore not care (I'll let you know how that works out in a few years ;-D), I still really like the feeling of this festival. I'll be going to my sister for Seder night, so am looking forward to a nice relaxed evening with her, her husband and my gorgeous nephews and niece!!! :-) My parents flew to Italy, so it's weird becasue I think this is the first time ever that I haven't seen them around pesach and I'm jealous I want to go to Italy!!! :-) and my other sister is staying put in London with her hubby and her 2 little girls. I miss them!!! :-) I haven't even seen my latest niece, who is only a few months old... hopefully I'll be able to go to London after the summer... I hope so, would like to see my nieces before they go off to university :-) + my son is driving me nuts because he wants to see grandma and grandpa and wants to go on the aeroplane again :-) and then wants to take the train to Paris to see Nonna (my grandma who is 96!!!).... I think he thinks of all transport as the car... just another way to get somewhere :-) my little jet-setting almost 4 year old :-)


Ok so I rambled a bit.... I told you... I'm not the mood to bead :-(


Wishing everyone who celebrates Pesach, a peaceful, happy and kosher one!!! :-)

Updates + preview

I'm not feeling my best today, and am finding it difficult to concentrate on the beading for long periods of time, so I bead a bit, I catch up with my blog reading, then I bead some more... but am just not feeling it and I really, really like the new project I started yesterday afternoon, so I want to enjoy it, not force it :-) So decided to write an early post today, why not? maybe I'll feel like beading later.

My desk looks like.... I would like to say like a bomb hit it, but with everything that is going around the world and especially here, I feel like it's a bit inappropriate... it looks like a bloody tip!!! My tidy-up lasted... not very long, as you can all see :-) but at least I have a good excuse... hmmm, I meant reason ;-) I'm currently actively working on 3 projects and that makes for a bit of a mess, both on the desk and in my head :-)

Sometimes it happens... when I'm not 100% sure where I'm going with a piece, I start getting loads of ideas in my head, and the ones that get discarded are the ones that inspire new pieces.... and in my attempt not to forget these ideas, I need to start them off. So that is how I get to have 3 almost completed but far from finished project on my beading table in the space of a couple of days!!! :-)

So here are the updates:

Water - no progress yet, lots of ideas flying around in my head, but nothing concrete yet - Water progress - part 1

Purple flowers - some progress, am at a crossroad regarding which way to carry on, will post progress later on, see Purple Flower progress - part 1 and check in later for part 2.

here are 2 previous bead-embroidered pieces that have been on hold for a while, I really like both of them, I just don't know what to do with them YET! :-)

ok so in the midst of all this chaos.... and in between deciding the last few steps for the Purple Flower, I started a new piece, also purple/lilacish and white, also flowers and also I don't know what I'm going to do with it :-) I have NO idea what on earth is going on with me lately... I'm so undecided and unsure.... not my usual self... well, I'll just go with the flow for now, and hopefully I WILL snap out of it soon... and just think of it this way, all of a sudden I will have (hopefully) 5 new pieces all at once!!!! :-) and then everyone that hasn't been following my ramblings :-) will think I'm a super-fast beader!!! :-)

Here is a preview of the new flowery piece... yes, I know more flowers!!! what can I say, I'm sorry... I love flowers, I even worked in a flower shop for a year, which I LOVED immensely!!!

I have 3 flowery tattoos, although arguably not pretty flowers and mostly chosen to balance the more intense tattoos I have spread around all over the place :-) If I could afford to, I would buy fresh flowers every week and have them all over the flat.... as I said, I really love flowers!!! :-)

come back later to see more on the purple flower progress