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| "Time Flies" by Frida Kahlo |
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| Teal Goddess, artist unknown |
Thanks for visiting my blog; check back later for more of my adventures in beading fun!
Sunday, 8 September 2013
Bead Soup Cafe Blogger/Nonblogger Photo Challenge
On the Bead Soup Cafe Facebook page, we have a regular Blogger/Non-blogger Challenge. The host of this month's challenge is Toltec Jewels, and she has chosen two photos for us to choose from:
I chose the Teal Goddess, of course, because teal is one of my favorite colors. I have recently purchased Nancy Dale's Atlantis Cuff freeform peyote tutorial, and fell in love with this process. I also recently acquired a Peruzi ceramic cab and seedies from Australia. So, I put one, two and three together, and came up with this cuff:
Thanks for visiting my blog; check back later for more of my adventures in beading fun!
Thanks for visiting my blog; check back later for more of my adventures in beading fun!
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Summer Colour Surprise Blog Hop!
Hello Everyone and welcome to my *ahem* attempt at something new. Yikes, terrible attempt, but nonetheless, I made it in time. Lisa Lodge and Pine Ridge Treasures have hosted this blog hop (among many others), to stretch our creative muses and she always seems to want to stretch mine to its breaking point...lol.
Alas, I have tried. Lisa sent me polymer clay beads from Torie Sophia (whom I absolutely adore!) and some summer green faceted beads. Love the colours...not comfortable with the big chunky beads. I am but a lowly beadweaver and bead embroiderer, and these beads just begged for some big bohemian type of piece. HA! Again, I gave it my good shot and here is what came of it....
I hope you enjoy the hop as I know I am going to! Thanks again Lisa Lodge for making me creatie something out of my comfort zone...lol...Love ya!
Please continue hopping to these wonderful beaders and their blogs:
Andrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations
Alas, I have tried. Lisa sent me polymer clay beads from Torie Sophia (whom I absolutely adore!) and some summer green faceted beads. Love the colours...not comfortable with the big chunky beads. I am but a lowly beadweaver and bead embroiderer, and these beads just begged for some big bohemian type of piece. HA! Again, I gave it my good shot and here is what came of it....
I hope you enjoy the hop as I know I am going to! Thanks again Lisa Lodge for making me creatie something out of my comfort zone...lol...Love ya!
Please continue hopping to these wonderful beaders and their blogs:
Your Hostess: Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist
Mary Govaars, MLH Jewelry Designs
Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes
Monique Urquhart, A Half-Baked Notion
Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool
Charlene Bausinger Jacka, Clay Space
Tara Plote, The Newbie Beader's Blog
Renetha Williams Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts
Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes ***You are Here!***
Kathy Zeigler Lindemer, Bay Moon Design
Toltec Jewels, Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends
Molly Alexander, Beautifully Broken Me
Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things
Laurie Vyselaar, Lefthand Jewelry
Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life
Julie Lockhart, Copar Aingeal
Dolores Rami, CraftyD's Creations
Elizabeth Bunn, Elizabeth Beads
Mowse Doyle, Mowse Made This
Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera
Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks
Shaiha Williams, Shaiha's Ramblings
Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs JewelryAndrea Glick-Zenith, ZenithJade Creations
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Seasons Blog Hop!
Yay for Pine Ridge Treasures' Seasons Blog Hop. It's arrived!
For this blog hop, Lisa Lodge from Pine Ridge Treasures sent me a beautiful ceramic pendant (in, I might add, frightening as heck colours) made by Melinda Orr Designs, and some lovely blue accent beads and copper findings to match. Ok, so NOT colors I would normally work with together (like ever). Turqouise blue and orange. What am I going to do with that??!?
Of the few blog hops I have participated in, including BSBP7, this I think was the scariest for me. These colors did it. Wow, I contemplated for months! And, then to have to match it to a season of the year, or a season in my life. Uh oh.
So, here is what I came up with (and forgive me, this piece is not entirely finished - I'll explain later). These colors only remind me of one thing. Sailing. Which brings me to the seasons, summer of course! However, the sailing reminds me of two things: my daughters, who are both sailors (sea cadets, go figure), and my parent's place on Manitoulin Island (many yachts and sailboats to watch!). My youngest daughter is leaving today for Kingston, Ontario to go sailing for 3 weeks. Wow, this is such an adjustment for me; she's only 13. My oldest daughter (16) and I are leaving for my parent's house on Monday. Twelve hour drive, but she is 16 and now has a driver's license so she can help drive :). It will be a great trip, provided I can keep myself from worrying about my younger daughter the whole time.
I ripped this piece apart 3 times. I started with bead embroidery, and tried to keep the stripey flow of the piece in the embroidery, but absolutely despised it. Can honestly say that's never happened to me before. So, I started again...and again...Finally I came up with an idea I liked. I wanted it to be something a sailor might wear on her night ashore, but would also convey the trust, skills, and luck involved when on the water.
I started out with the turqouise soutache, added the cream, and some beads, and then remembered I had this small scale fabric rope. I wanted to add the element of luck to the piece, so I had my older daughter make a good luck sailor's knot to sew on the bottom. Love this idea, but here is where we come to the unfinished part. Younger daughter leaving today, had to pack her up for 3 weeks (including sailing gear), older daughter and I are leaving for two weeks on Monday, must have us packed and ready to leave for 6am Monday morning. Finished work for the summer on Thursday at 2pm, van has been in the shop for a week, finally got that home yesterday, and hubby works out of town. I really wanted to have the rope part of the necklace finished and the good luck knot sewn on, but alas...LIFE has caught up with me this week. So much to do, so little time.
That being said, it can still be considered a finished piece as is...it's just a pendant instead of the full necklace. Although, I would like to finish it and write another blog post to show it off as a finished piece, for my own satisfaction :)
Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you enjoy the whole list of blogs participating in the Seasons Blog Hop:
For this blog hop, Lisa Lodge from Pine Ridge Treasures sent me a beautiful ceramic pendant (in, I might add, frightening as heck colours) made by Melinda Orr Designs, and some lovely blue accent beads and copper findings to match. Ok, so NOT colors I would normally work with together (like ever). Turqouise blue and orange. What am I going to do with that??!?
 |
| Bottom is what I added from my stash, top is what I received from Lisa Lodge. |
So, here is what I came up with (and forgive me, this piece is not entirely finished - I'll explain later). These colors only remind me of one thing. Sailing. Which brings me to the seasons, summer of course! However, the sailing reminds me of two things: my daughters, who are both sailors (sea cadets, go figure), and my parent's place on Manitoulin Island (many yachts and sailboats to watch!). My youngest daughter is leaving today for Kingston, Ontario to go sailing for 3 weeks. Wow, this is such an adjustment for me; she's only 13. My oldest daughter (16) and I are leaving for my parent's house on Monday. Twelve hour drive, but she is 16 and now has a driver's license so she can help drive :). It will be a great trip, provided I can keep myself from worrying about my younger daughter the whole time.
 | |
| This is what I started with...yuk |
 | |
| almost finished...lol |
That being said, it can still be considered a finished piece as is...it's just a pendant instead of the full necklace. Although, I would like to finish it and write another blog post to show it off as a finished piece, for my own satisfaction :)
Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you enjoy the whole list of blogs participating in the Seasons Blog Hop:
Cassi Paslick, Beads:
Rolling Downhill
Stephanie Sanner Haussler, PixyBug Designs
Leah Mifflin Tees, My Beady Little Eyes ***you are here!***
Karin Slaton, BackStory Beads
Audrey Belanger, Dreams of an Absolution
Lori Jean Poppe,
Lorillijean Creative
Corner
Karla Morgan, Texas Pepper Jams
Christine Stonefield, Sweet Girl Design
Eleanor Burian-Mohr, The Charmed Life
Alicia Marinache, All the Pretty Things
Veralynne Malone, Designed by Vera
Kay Thomerson, Kayz Kreationz
Mary Govaars, MLH
Jewelry Designs
Toltec Jewels, Toltec
Jewels for Jewel School Friends
Lennis Carrier, Windbent
Erin Kenny, Beadifultherapy
Tanya Goodwin, A
Work in Progress
Cilla Watkins, Tell
Your Girlfriends
Renetha Williams Stanziano, Lamplight Crafts
Christie Searle Murrow, Charis Designs Jewelry
Sierra Barrett, Giraffe Can Has
Melissa Trudinger, Bead Recipes
Shirley Jones Moore, Beads and Bread
Dawn Horner, Northern Adornments
Charlene Bausinger Jacka, Clay Space
Tara Plote, The
Newbie Beader's Blog
Candida Elkins Castleberry, Spun Sugar Beadworks
Miranda Ackerley, Daze
and Days
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Whimsical Monkey's Earring Swap Blog Hop!
I have had so much fun with the other Blog Hops I have participated in that when I came across this one, I just couldn't help but sign up :). I was partnered with the lovely Nancy Smith, you can find her blog here: http://www.wirednan.blogspot.ca/ . I wanted to do something I haven't done before, so instead of bead weaving someone else's pattern, I designed my own! This is what I made for Nan:
I have wanted to try the new rizo and rulla beads, and finally was able to get some. This was my chance, and I'm glad I took the risk; I really like how they turned out! These earrings are called 'Stella' and I was so happy with them, I even made a matching pendant. Am currently trying to decide if I should write up a tutorial for them, what do you think? They are made using rizo beads, rulla beads, delicas and drop crystals.
And in return, here are my earrings from Nan! Aren't they gorgeous! I love them Nan, thank you! The ever-sneaky Nancy sent me TWO georgeous pairs of purple and silver earrings! And purple just so happens to be my favourite colour! We must have been close friends in a former life ;)
This first pair are made with Glass flower beads and Argentium ball headpins(made by Nancy) with the addition of matching seed beads from her stash. She also made the earwires!
And these ones she made with Sterling wire that she shaped into almond earwires and then coiled the same wire around the beads. The purple ones are vintage glass and the pink are dyed jade.
Thank you for including me in this Blog Hop, I hope to participate in many more! For those of you still waiting to see my second piece for the BSBP 7, it is waiting in the wings for more inspiration, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it!
I apologize for the late post, but I was away for the weekend and didn't get the memo about the reveal being back on until I was already out of town! Any who, Jessica, I'm glad you decided to continue with it, and I'm sorry you had such a trying time with this. I hope it doesn't deter you from doing this again in the future!
Please visit the other Blogs participating in this Earring Swap Blog Hop:
Blogs:
Inge von Roos: ingetraud.wordpress.com
Marianne Baxter: http://www.simplyseablimejewelry.blogspot.com/
Andrea Trank: www.heavenlanecreations.com
Miranda Ackerley: http://blog.mirandack.com/
Cheri Mitchell-Reed: http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Susan Kennedy: http://creativedesignsbycheri.blogspot.com/
Michele Dotson: http://star-jewels.blogspot.com/
Deanna Cox: www.deannaaki.WordPress.com
Shelley Graham Turner: www.shelleygrahamturner.blogspot.com
Ingrid McCue: www.wrappedinsilver.com
Lennis Carrier: http://windbent.wordpress.com
Ginger Davis Allman: http://thebluebottletree.com/
Mary Anne Flesch: www.handcraftedserenity.blogspot.com
Nicole Valentine Rimmer: www.nvalentine.blogspot.com
Stephanie Weiss: uniquelymebwd.blogspot.com/
Silvia Sernicola: http://pipa-the-latest.blogspot.it/
Karla Morgan: www.TexasPepperJams.blogspot.com
Kay Thomerson: http://KayzKreationz.blogspot.com
Paula Hisel: http://simplybeadiful.weebly.com/simply-stated.html
Carol Dillman: http://dillmansdallies.blogspot.com/
Spun Sugar Beadworks: Spunsugarbeadworks.blogspot.com
Tara Plote: http://newbiebeader.blogspot.com/
Rachel Baron: http://rbarondesigns.blogspot.com/
Laurie Keefe: http://treeofliferootedinmysoul.blogspot.com/
Kashmira Patel: http://sadafulee.blogspot.com
Gina Hockett: http://www.freestyleelements.blogspot.com
Shellie Grindy: http://www.creativeeclectica.com/
Shai Williams: http://shaihasramblings.blogspot.com/
Dyanne Cantrell: http://deelitefuljewelrycreations.blogspot.com
Mimi Gardner: www.OtherCuriosities.blogspot.com
Jessica McMullen: http://pheonixgatedesigns.blogspot.com/
Jennifer LaVite: www.drygulchbeadsandjewelry.blogspot.com
Laura Medeiros: http://zoeowyn.blogspot.com/
Alenka Obid: www.pepita-handmade.blogspot.com
Elsie Fonseca: http://www.ladelizchica.blogspot.com/
Cheryl Dunham: www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com
Cheryl Dunham: www.renaissance-jewelry.blogspot.com
Sandra McGriff: http://skyescreativechaos.blogspot.ca
Tania Spivey: http://moobiegrace.blogspot.com/
Facebook:
Tania Spivey: http://moobiegrace.blogspot.com/
Facebook:
Beccy Peterson: Beccy's Baubles
Ani Forsyth: Veil Dancer
Mowse Doyle: https://www.facebook.com/MowseMadeThis
Mischelle Fanucchi: www.facebook.com/micheladasmusings
Marde Lowe: FanciMar Designs
Saturday, 27 April 2013
The Third Reveal is Finally Here!!!!!
Lori sent me a wonderful package of two colourways to design with: a mix of reds and browns and a mix of purples. My package also included a reddish brown focal (a gemstone I'm sure, but don't know what kind) and a really pretty bright copper dragon fly clasp.
Immediately, my brain went into overdrive. I started separating the mixes, and then had my girls look them over. My younger daughter looked at all the wonderful beads and suggested a couple changes to the mixes and I stayed with her colour ideas. Sometimes it's great to get another opinion that you may not have thought of yourself! Thanks Pnut!
I mulled them over for quite a few days and decided there were definitely two jewelry set ideas in the mist of my brain. One for the reds and one for the purples of course! The focal and clasp went with the red mix, that left the purple mix without a focal and clasp so I added those from my stash, along with some maribou, soutache and rounds. Lori also included in my package two of her own beaded beads and I wanted to incorporate those into my pieces as well.
I started with the red mix (the main piece) and had an AWESOME idea. This idea even became the basis for my idea for the second piece. The colours in this mix were so red and fiery and hot, and the focal had some potential to be red-hot as well, so I started to design a Moroccan woman. I bezelled around the focal with bright copper 15s and then added a Swarovski crystal drop in front. I wanted to bead embroider and soutache around the cab to make it look like flowing material as in what a belly-dancer would wear. I began with bead embroidery on one side of the cab, then I added the whole thing to a new piece of foundation so that it would be a little more three dimensional, and I started to soutache on the other side. This is where I hit a real bump in the road. It didn't look right. No matter what I tried, it still didn't look right. I was so disappointed in this piece that I put it aside and decided to work with the other colour mix: the purples, one of my favourite colours to work with. I do wish I had taken pictures of the red piece BEFORE I ripped it apart though...lol
The focal is dyed jasper I believe, and in an odd shape. So, I started with the soutache, added some cup chain, the purple seed beads and larger round picture jasper beads I received in my package, added some 4mm bone rounds and black rounds, and ended it with black marabou. I used one of the beaded beads from Lori as a drop on the pendant and made earrings and a bracelet to match. My original thought was to call it Nights of New Orleans because it reminded me of Mardi Gras, but my older daughter suggested that it reminds her more of the showgirls of Vegas, so it's final name is Pretty Vegas. Thank you Haley!
Now back to the red piece. I wanted so bad to call this piece Mysterious Marrakesh, but I'm not sure what it will become when I finally have it finished. I apologize for not having it complete, but as far as challenges go, this was a duzy, although I am NOT giving up on it by any means. I ripped it apart last night thinking I had another idea for it, but alas, the mist overclouded the idea in my brain once again...lol. Now it sits, bezelled still, but naked otherwise, waiting for my brilliant ideas to reemerge once again.
And apart from my inability to finish the main piece in time, I enjoyed this challenge very much. Thank you Lori Anderson for spear-heading this wonderful venue and allowing us to meet other brilliantly talented people who enjoy doing what we do.
As for other challenges? Well, I am just discovering my designer abilities and will continue to join as many challenges as I can in order to keep growing as an artist. I am participating in the Hats Off blog hop challenge, Pine Ridge Treasure's Seasons and Summer Blog Hop Challenges, and any others I can find :)
Thank you for visiting my blog. I have included the list of participating blogs:
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