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!!!!

 

Autumn at the beach - Treasury

I love this time of year, the light is changing, the temperatures are dropping to bearable (today was about 30 degrees Centigrade), the humidity is finally dropping to a level whereas you don't think of needing to take a shower every 30 minutes! :-) ...and my all-time favourite part of the day is those last few hours before and until sunset, where it's still warm, but you can feel the end of the day approaching and you are soaking in those last few rays... and you know that winter is only a few months away, so those moments are treasured even more.... and the colours that I see and feel are the inspiration for the treasury I just managed to grab!!! :-)

Go check it out!!! :-)

This treasury expires Wednesday 17th September: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=9126

Black Panther Earrings

I woke up this morning with a great desire to make the earrings that complement the Black Panther Necklace I posted about a few days ago...

 
These Black Panther Earrings were so much fun to make, my first pair of beadembroidered earrings!!! I think I did alright! :-D I'm really pleased with the result.  Usually I don't like making two of the same of anything but with beadembroidery I don't seem to mind... I'm going to try and make some more beadembroidered earrings.... on my to do list, with all the other stuff that's on it! :-)

I still have one beadembroidered Labradorite cabochon which I was thinking of using to make a bracelet .... but I'm yet to decide how to tackle the wristband part.... the wheels are still churning.... however slowly :-) I hope by next week I'll have something whipped up!!! :-) if not it may become a pendant! :-) come back and check it out! :-)