Spring Break EBW Challenge

I had to temporarily abandon the beaded collar (Sunflowers)... I just need a break, a change of pace... I left all my beads as they were on my beading table and moved with a new palette of colours to my dining table.... only temporarily!!!

I thought I would tackle the new EBW challenge.... Spring Break!!!

Well... all I can think of is loud, drunk, semi-naked college students.... or ... flowers... guess which one is easier to portray.... yes flowers!!! I love flowers, even though most people wouldn't make me for a flowery type of gal.... maybe it's the twenty tattoos that throw people off :-) although 3 are flowers, 9 are butterflies and my Japanese koi carp on my leg has flowers all around it!!! :-) I also used to work in a flower shop (I've done a lot of things in the last 20 years, searching for myself) which I loved to death.... but not as much as beading, although a very close second!!!

So I took a couple of books, I decided to try a new technique... brick stitch... although I have used it in my bead embroidery to attach the back suede to the beading, I've never used it to build on.... I had a little bit of a mental block over this stitch, am not sure why, it's not any more complicated than any of the others, but that's how I felt....

Armed with books, cream pearl seed beads, some purple ones, my Swarovsky crystals boxes and these great 2-toned green and purple glass pearls I moved (much to my son's delight, as he was drawing at the dining table) and I started messing around with the stitch.... and after a few hours of not really getting anywhere I finally got something I liked and as I've never made a pair of bead-woven earrings, decided to make some! I've been meaning to make some earrings for a while, but to be honest I like working on big pieces... the bigger the better!!! :-)

So here are my first bead-woven earrings... and I'm really pleased with how they turned out! They are elegant, cute, funky and I absolutely LOVE the colour combination!!!!

The photo is not brilliant, it's been pissing down with rain here all day, so I had to take them inside under my dining table light, not ideal, but I really wanted to share :-) will post better pictures as soon as the sun comes back out!!! :-)

Now I have to go and deal with my huge pile of overflowing unwashed dishes!!! at least I caught up with all my clothes washing for the week!!! well... a choice between chores or beading, which one would you go for?!?!?! :-)

Creative Process - Bronze Embroidered Collar - Part 2

OK!.... this has been one of my most challenging pieces ever!!! and not because of the technique, but because of the design.... so here is an update on the piece, which has now been renamed Sunflowers.... you will see why... or at least I hope you will :-)

All was going well.... I was enjoying it, I knew where I was going.... I liked how it was turning out.... but then I went to pick up my order of beads, including the grey ones which I was running out of and..... Nooooo, they had run out of stock!!!! :-( panic attack!!! :-)

Never mind, think out of the box.... and within my new order of beads there were some gorgeous Czech Baby Pillow beads mix.... and I thought they would look lovely with the shell... so I started changing my design.... (see top right and below) also, this month's EtsyBeadweavers' Challenge was on my mind... the challenge is "Spring Break" ... so I'm thinking, spring... flowers.... sunflowers.... and the baby pillows naturally fit in.... I've found a solution for my lack of grey beads problem.... all is going well.... or so I thought :-)

I really was unhappy!!! I liked the effect that the baby pillows gave, but something just wasn't working!!!! so I unpicked the cause of so much misery :-) and took a deep breath... and re-thought the design....

and as you see above right.... a vast improvement.... I have this tendency to buy beads just because I like them... not because I need them.... am so glad I do that, because I really didn't know how to finish off.... so back to my stash.... I found these great transparent matte brown seed beads, that I probably bought 2 years ago and have never used before.... and they are just perfect!!! I wanted something to tone down the shine and sparkle at the same time as compliment it.

Now comes the next challenge.... coming up with the perfect (or close enough) closure....

till the next time.... I'm hoping I will have finished it by Sunday or Monday... always hard to tell how much beading I can do at the week-end.... depends on how long my son's nap lasts :-)

3 Treasuries!!!! Thank u!!!

Wow!!! I woke up this morning around 5 am... best time to go check out what is happening in the land of Etsy... and first I find a convo from Carol Dean of SandFibers, who is unbelievably supportive and helpful (and I just saw, is running a contest on her blog), with the link to http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=25146. Beautiful Treasury compiled by Modesign who makes beautiful organic original jewelry... check her out! very different! Thank you for including my Black Medusa! I guess re-listing items on Etsy helps! ;-)





The second.... I found just browsing through the treasury list.... although after finding it, I discovered a message from Jean directing me to the treasury, thank you Jean! :-) http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=25132. This beautiful treasury, which expires on Saturday, was compiled by Jean Hutter.... Thank yo so much Jean for including my Ancient Cuff... Jean is the creator of Totally Twisted, she also has a great blog, actually more than one, but as my blog is as about my obsession with beading I will only link the beading one (you can find the links to her other blogs on there:-D)




and the third, I actually found yesterday... but had such horrible PMT that I really didn't feel like writing.... Thank you Emmapardos for including my Silver Snake Lariat. I think this treasury is on page 1... so that's cool!!! :-) this treasury expires in less than half a day... so go check it out quickly!!! ;-)

Wow excellent timing!!!! my son just woke up... so time to say goodbye for now! :-) Again thank you all for having included my pieces in your treasuries.... really appreciated!!! Go check out the treasuries.... click on the photos.... leave a message.... just remember they all have expiry dates, so don't put it off.... and if you have missed the treasury, you can still go and check out the wonderful works of the 3 people who created these treasuries!!! :-) will post soon with my advancement on the bronze embroidered collar.... now re-named Sunflowers.... there's a hint!!! :-) you will not recognise the piece from the original photos posted earlier... I don't! :-)

Ancient Cuff

Here is my first bead embroidered cuff!!!! this is the reason why I bought the book "The Art of Bead Embroidery" by Heidi Kummli and Sherry Serafini!!! I always wanted to make nice chunky beaded cuffs and didn't know how :-) and, again thanks to this gorgeous easy-to-follow book, now I do!!!

When I first finished this cuff, I wasn't quite sure about it... I think in my mind I saw it differently... and found it a bit challenging to begin with.... so I put it away for a few days, and looked at it with fresh eyes and now I'm very pleased with it.... and as soon as I finish my Bronze Embroidered Collar (am not sure of the name yet), can't wait to start another one!!! Stay tuned! :-)

For more information see:

Ancient Cuff

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 :-)

Creative Process - Bronze Ebroidered Collar - part 1

I decided to keep a photographic record of my thought process while designing some pieces, because I find myself forgetting too many ideas that I get whilst working on something.... so I now keep my digital camera on my beading table and click away! :-) so here is the latest piece I'm working on.

Preliminary sketches: you will see how it changes and how I sometimes get ideas for possible future pieces.

Below: I sketch out an idea of what I'm aiming for, not necessarily using those stones... I just try and get an idea of proportions. Picture on the right is now my template.

Below: I actually badly-placed the right bead, unfortunately didn't realise it until I finished stitching both (and I don't mean only the actual bead, I mean all the work on top!!!) .... so had to un-stitch one and start again... next time I'll double check! :-) the photo on the right shows the corrected version.

When I get a bit stuck, I go through my bead stash and pull out more beads just to give myself a new perspective and usually it helps and new ideas come up, some good, some less good :-)

Right photo: I decided to include the shells and grey square beads, but not the pearls, although am thinking of using these colours with the pearls for a future project.




I have progressed a bit more, but now it's almost midnight and I don't have enough light to take the picture, it will go in the next installment :-)
So, if you are interested to see how it develops and turns out, come back in a few days! or sign up to my monthly newsletter (above right ) :-)