Arearea - Joyousness

I finally finished my new bead embroidered bag Arearea – Joyousness. I honestly never thought it would get finished!!! :-) but each and every single stitch and bead was put there with so much love and enthusiasm, because I absolutely LOVE this bag and LOVE how it turned out!!!!

I created this bag for the Bead Art Originals (BAO) Team’s December challenge. The challenge was to create a piece inspired by one of our favourite famous works of art; a famous painting, sculpture, photograph, etc...

The painting I chose is Paul Gauguin’s Arearea – Joyousness (1892)

This is one of my all-time favourite paintings and I have a postcard of it (that I purchase in some museum about 15-18 years ago) pinned to my note board next to my computer.

I love this painting for so many reasons, the composition, the exotic feel to it and the colours. Both the exoticism and the colours are what inspired me to create this bag.

The bag is made entirely by hand (hand stitched) in chocolate brown genuine suede, and is lined in bright purple Ultrasuede, beadembroidered around three gorgeous MAKUstudio One-of-a-Kind ceramic cabochons (1 heart and 2 discs), beautiful Swarovski crystals in Montana Sapphire, burn orange and Golden Shadow, Swarovski Crystal Copper elongated bicones and loads of multicoloured fresh-water pearls all beadembroidered with Japanese seed beads in light bronze, dark copper, Swarovski Montana Sapphire crystals and Czech copper bugles.

The strap is a gorgeous and sturdy beadwoven spiral rope encrusted with the Swarovski Montana Sapphire crystals and the multicoloured fresh-water pearls.

I have fallen heads over heel in love with this bag!!!! I must make a similar one for myself, as soon as I can find the time!!! :-)

Let me know what you think & wishing all who celebrate it a very happy Hanukkah!!!

Please visit the BAO team blog, http://www.beadartoriginals.blogspot.com between the 16th and 20th of December and vote for your favourite entry by leaving a comment on the blog post.

RED CHALLENGE - RESULTS!!!

Well.... results are finally out.... I did relatively well and therefore thank all of you who voted for me... and to all who didn't yet.... well... too late now!!! :-) but there is always the next one! :-)

2 out of 3 of my pieces made it into the top 10:

4th place - Magic Red Carpet (Below Left)
6th place - Beating Heart Necklace (Below Right)

not bad out of 42! :-) I'm pleased!!! :-)

if you want to see the results go to http://etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/

Again, thank you all :-)

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.