Hello 2015

One month of 2015 is almost gone, and I just realized I haven't posted any thing on this blog in ages.  Since I'm going to be teaching again this year, it probably is a good idea that I have a few things here on the web to share with future students so they can see what other options there are in beaded figures.

These past months, I've been playing around with making animal doll forms.  It has been a bit challenging trying to get proportions right to make my forms look more life like.  I sat back and realized why am I doing that?  Why not just dive deep into my sub conscious and find my inner CARTOON MUSE!  It worked.  I also decided to not totally encrust the doll form with beads because sometimes the fabric combinations are just too fun.  So for my first in 2015 met two rats and a weird genetic hybrid mutation called a RatBit. 

Met the Country Rat.  He's made of scrap fabric and felt.

I had fun making the County Rat's nose. 

Is it Rabbit?  Is it a Rat?  No it is a RatBit

I just love the patterns in this fabric.  Add a felted vest with a few pieces of scrap fabric for pockets AND a very saucy beret

Wishing upon a Star

Next month most of my friends are going to be traveling near and far to spend a wonderful time in Milwaukee at the Bead and Button show.  ME?  Can't go, but so wish I could as I would love to have been able to take the Master Class with Marcia DeCoster.  I think I've probably taken more bead classes with Marcia than anyone else, and since Liz is going to be her assistant there I just KNOW they are going to have a blast.  I don't have the vacation time since I've started my new job, and it is a little late to try to get into the second Master class with Marcia.  So instead of just pouting, I've been doing my own home version of Marcia's Master class using components. 

Early I had shown how using the totally unappreciated Czech seed beads, you could do some marvelous bead weaving.  So I've taken that one step farther.  First off, I've finished my version of Marcia's Pacific Morning Glories using Czech beads for a necklace.  Then I decided to take one of my own bead embroidery components and add it to several of the components from Pacific Morning Glories and another of Marcia's designs from her book Beaded Opulence.  Can I add one more thing?  I can't wait for her new book to come out in August.  It is all about Motion!

Pacific Morning Glories Necklace all completed using Czech Seed Beads

Experimentation using one of my components with three different component designs from Marcia DeCoster's class kit instructions

My component with two of the Pacific Morning Glories pinwhells

Asymmetrical chain using two different design components from Marcia DeCoster

Very clever closure from Marcia's Pacific Morning Glories

I have been making my way through I CAN Herringbone a little more.  I can't tell you enough what a marvelous book this is.  Click below to find the link to buy this book on Amazon for 1/2 price.  You will NOT regret it:

I Can Herringbone: From Basic Stitch to Advanced Techniques, a Comprehensive Workbook for Beaders

Mish Mash Delight using one of the fused glass pieces from Roxanne's class

One of the lesson's in Mellisa's book where you add to the herringbone chain.  In this experiment, I added a different colored seed bead and then a 4mm pearl giving the chain "bumps

The fused glass piece has a peyote bezel and the crystal has a RAW bevel embellished with glass drops.  I added a few pearls to pop out the color of the crystal and then added a bone rondelles.

 

 

In this project, I made another herringbone chain from Melissa's book and used the twisted version of it.  When Liz was visiting, I found a bag of taxidermy glass eyes so I decided it was time to use one of them on a project.  It was glued down on a piece of Nicole's Bead Backing which is my favorite.

The Eye of the Beholder:  To finish this up, I did a RAW bezel around the eye and embellished with a few glass drops.  To keep it simple, I only did one row of back stitch using seed beads and pearls.  I wore this the other night to work, and no one guessed it was a glass eye looking at them.

 

 

WIP Ebony Elegance

Earlier this week, I showed you a necklace incorporating herringbone and right angle weave after being inspired by Marcia DeCoster's Beaded Opueance and Mabeline Gidez's I CAN Right Angle Weave.  I was very happy with the outcome and have worn it almost every single day since the creation.  It is light weight, and simple enough for work wear but jazzy enough to wear out for a night on the town. Monday, I decided to pull out another on of Lark Craft books and see what other things could give me an idea and inspire me to push my designing a little bit further.  This time, I was looking at Jill Wiseman's Beautiful Beaded Ropes and came across several very interesting concepts.  In several of her projects, she states that you could make all the pieces of a necklace individually and then put them together but why not find a way embellish one to incorporate another creating something more solid and unique.  Talk about making my brain buzz...

So I started out with a small bead embroidered pendent in all blacks and silver.  I decided to make the bail using right angle weave instead of peyote which is what is normally used.  Then I made a long peyote tube using size 11 black matt beads.  If you've followed me for awhile, you'll know that I'm not a big fan of peyote so this was a little bit of a challenge for me to keep the pattern going in all ONE COLOR!  But it worked, and I was pleased at how it looked.  I could at this point just add the pendent put on a clasp and call it done.  But nope, that would not make my Muse happy.  So I decided to once again call on Marcia's book to give me another idea but I came back to Amphora again as I love the look of the right angle weave beaded bead.  But as suggested in Jill's book, I wanted to make this a part of the peyote chain.  So added a row of size 11 seed beads between the "ditch" in the peyote tube securing it to the peyote chain and used this as the starting place for a RAW tube around the tube.  Then I did only one other layer with the same matt black beads for only one row.  Now I have movement in multiple directions with the roundness of the pendent, the even rows of the peyote and the added depth and complimentary direction of the RAW tube with the embellishments.  I like how it looks so far.

I'm going to add another RAW tube on the other side of the pendent and these two permanent RAW tubes will keep the pendent from sliding all over the place.  But am I done, nope.  My plan is to add at least two more of the RAW tubes farther up the peyote tube.  Stay tune to check out more progress post.

Combinating techniques for a unique flavor

When I was fifteen, I decided that I wanted to learn to bake.  For Christmas, my parents got me a cookbook which I dived right into.  Up until then, I'd been the "box" kind of baker...you know what I mean...Betty Crocker or those tubes of cookie dough was about all I knew how to do.  Then I took Home Economics along with my prized cookbook, and decided I could take what I'd been doing and "ADD" to it.  So then, I had my Mom add flavorings and food color to the shopping list.  I still did my box mixes as I wasn't ready to start from real scratch just yet.  My sister would help me, and we'd come up with the most amazing combinations.  We were very lucky that our brother would eat just about anything we made.  Our biggest undertaking for a Forth of July family party was to make a big flag sheet cake.  The actual cake was a regular chocolate cake mix where we added some cherry flavored pudding.  It was pretty tasty and reminded us of chocolate covered cherries, but we weren't finished.  There was the icing to consider.  Red, white and blue was easy to make with our food colorings, but we wanted to make it special so we (you guessed) got out the flavorings.  It was a sort of banana split type of cake with banana, pineapple, and cherry flavorings.  Hey, we thought it would not only be the hit of the party, but a cornucopia of flavor delights.  My Dad's eyes glazed over with all the scrumptious sugar.  He took a giant piece, bit into it and those glazed eyes turned into tiny pin pricks as they focused on me and these words came out of his mouth, "what did you girls do?".  Well, it was too confusing for the taste buds, so the cake sat uneaten and the guest had boring watermelon instead.  My brother did eat the whole cake in the next few days, but this experiment was a wake up call to me that yes, you can mix and match things but you need to focus on only a few surprises at a time.  No need to throw everything in the mix (literally) or you'll just confuse everyone and make a big noxious mess.

Same goes with designing beaded jewelry.  First off, before you get down to the nitty gritty, you have to take your time and really learn the techniques.  You don't have to become a Master at them, but learn them enough so that you don't struggle with the execution of each technique.  Use books such as Mabeline Gidez's I CAN Right Angle Weave to learn the basics.  Take some time to go through Lark's magnificent collection of Master Bead Weaver's books such as Marcia DeCoster's Beaded Opulence honing your skills and getting ideas.  The two words here and Practice and Experimenting.  Practice the skills and then take that experience you've worked on, and start adding two "ingredients" together to make something different, unique, but complimentary.  This is what I've started doing on my beaded jewelry design. 

I've called my newest piece "Delightful Brunch".  Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch with all the delicious treats you find in both meals, but all put together for mouth watering temptations.  Delightful Brunch is my offering of two separate bead weaving techniques used together to create something simply delicious.  The rope is a basic tubular Herringbone using two different size seed beads.  With this piece, I used matt colored size 11 seed beads with size 11 Galvanized colored size 8 seed beads for that little bump.  This is one long tube which can be slipped over the head in a lariat type style.  Then the fastener is Right Angle Weave tube inspired from Marcia DeCoster's Beaded Opulence front cover.  For this I used a combination of her instructions with a few little changes.  The end dangles are also another offering of other techniques.  One dangle is a lampwork bead and the other dangle is a peyote caged Rivoli combining tear drop pearls.  Each piece is separately made and then combined and presented for your approval.  I've worn this two times already, and it is so light that I forget I'm wearing it, but it does draw attention.

So never be afraid to combine stitches.  Experiment and enjoy and try to remember that sometimes too much is not necessarily bad as there is always someone out there that will enjoy a big batch of everything thrown into the bowl.  And always have your groupies there cheering you on.

Work in Progress

Chris and I have been talking about possibly going to Utah next year.  It has been probably over 20 years since we've been out to Canyon Lands and Bryce Canyon.  We thought wouldn't it be fun to go back out and see what has remained the same (and I'm sure) and what has changed.  The main thing that hasn't changed is the BIG night sky out in Utah especially at Bryce Canyon.  On night were there is the New Moon you can see from horizon to horizon nothing but stars.  You can even seen the spiral of the Milky Way.  There are always people out there with telescopes letting you view the amazing star scape which will make you feel excited and very small.  But it is the most amazing sight you can ever see.  I have only seen the Milky Way a hand full of times as I grew up in smoggy Los Angeles and have always lived in a big city with lots of lights.  The first time, I was a little girl with my Dad walking around the Painted Desert area and asked him what was that up there.  He laughed realizing that I'd never seen that many stars so he explained all the stories the stars told me.  He then said that on some nights you can see people dancing on the Milky Way.  I always remember that special night, and yes!  when in Utah I did look for those mysterious dancers.

Pearl squares with gemstones in the center

Pink and brown beads left over from Beading for a Cure kit

Using a fan design to mimic the spirals of the Milky Way

Yes, this is RAW with a peyote closing bezel

Vintage sequins given to me by Joyce Griffiths

This is a work in progress with lots of experimenting.  I've used the same basic collar template, but this time I wanted to try using Right Angle Weave to cage in the big piece of glass that JJ Jacobs gave me.  I also experimented caging the little glass crystals that Liz gave me too.  And of course, where would I be without Nicole's Bead Backing setting the color for this piece, and my special dwindling hoard of bone rondelles.  I'm hoping to get this done soon so come back and see how I've decided to finish it and yes/no? on fringe.  And remember to watch for those dancers on a dark clear night.

Adventures of Cranberry Thirst

I love remaking things from items that would automatically be thrown away by other.  Take for example a bunch of very ugly necklaces on display at the thrift store.  I got three separate ones that were probably some of the most atrocious designs I have seen in ages...plus everything was plastic.  Now, I believe in not being a bead snob, so I told the Muse to help me create something with these horribly plastic beads that caught my attention.  Why you say did they do that, well, they were this luscious matte cranberry covered ovals.  To me they spoke & said...make us worthy of our color.  So here is some progress pictures of one of the necklaces I made with those plastic beads.  It is still in the construction phase as I got it all done, hung it on "Louise" and it looked terrible...so back to the design board.  Hopefully I can get something a little more pleasing after a few more walks around the block with my Muse.

Start with plastic beads along with some complimentary seeds and Nicole's Bead Backing

I knew there was a reason I still had my BeadSmith bead board.  Trying out a design element

Another design experiment ripped out

OH NO!  Look at the connectors and how they kink out.  Not very attractive so another rip out

Inspiration for the name Cranberry Thirst

 Please join me later to see if I finally got this  piece to look and hang right.  My next try is Right Angle Weave connectors for the upper two medallions

Finding the Light Within

I am still grieving for Mr. Frodo.  If I see a picture of him, I break down and let the tears flow.  Also, we are facing the fact that it is time to let Arwen go too.  She's suffering from her bladder cancer, and we know the time is drawing close when we have to say good bye to her too.  But it is so close to losing Frodo that we just can't make ourselves do it.  She won't eat except Milk Bones an an occasional piece of meat.  Her tumor has grown enough to cause her problems and now her Cushings has kicked in so she's got a double dose of disease making our little clown close down.  Every once in awhile, her normal self is back, but it then gets hidden away from us.  We are just taking it one day at a time, but it is going to be soon.  And I think about my Grandma daily.  She was such a big part of our lives once we moved from California back to Southern Ohio.  I can hear her laugh all the time which was one of her favorite things to do. 

So with all this striking me at once, I have felt my heart heavy and broken.  I asked myself what do I done when so heart sick with grief. Do I drown my heart with tears?  Do I build a wall up around it so no one or nothing can penetrate it?  Do I attack it leaving it even more sore and weak?  Do I stab it with an icy pick filling it with holes so the pain can leak out?  I don't think any of these things are healthy.  I believe that all these people and animals and places we have cherished are inside our heart.  They are never truly gone. We carry them with us on this long journey through life.  And when we miss them or want to feel their love again all we really need to do is reach inside and Find the light of their love within ourselves. 

They day after Frodo died which was exactly two weeks after Grandma died, I sat at my work table with a piece of fused glass that a new friend had sent me.  I stared into the glass through teary eyes looking deep into the colors fused into that piece.  I looked up and mysteriously my hands began to find beads and other pieces of glass and vintage crystals to compliment the fused glass.  Then I reached for a bright yellow piece of Nicole's Bead Backing and glued the focal glass piece on it.  Oh my heart soared with the colors forming there on my work table.  In almost a frantic pace, I sewed each bead, each bugle, each spacer, each drop onto the collar not stopping for rest.  At the end of the day, I would lay it down, but as soon as my eyes would open or I had time, I would pick it up working away letting all my grief drain from me.  The bright colors wrapped me with healing powers and the dark metallic spacers with drops of green light poking out through them were there to remind me that there still was a few pieces of dark left for me.  For can we really let all that grief out?  Small pieces cling to the love of that person, animal, place forever because that is just how we have to keep the memory. But that one piece of dark memory is so small that it has become comfortable and easy to comprehend.  I still can touch the dark memory surrounded by the light of losing my Great Grandmother many years ago, or our beloved Lady who we had a funeral for when I was only 8, or the gigantic elm tree blighted by disease and cut down.  It is still there ready to be re-hydrated with our tears.  But the light...oh the light calms us and brings back the smile and the memories.

So when I finished this collar in what I was told a record time, I decided that it would be called: Find the Light Within.  I wore it yesterday even though is clashed horribly with the shirt I had on, but reaching down and stroking the cool glass as I sat calmed me and made me once again smile.  My heart is going to be broken and sore so many more times, and I know soon it will be once again attacked when we lose our little clown, our little Arwen.  But I have delved down and brought the light up once...I know it is there.  And when the time comes, I'll find it again and let it sooth me.

Vacation winding down

Today is the last day of my stay at home vacation. Did I enjoy it?  Parts of it I really like, but   Chris has been sick since Sunday.  Don't know if he has a bad Summer cold or bronchitis.  Because of this, we haven't been able to do some of the things I'd planned.  I've mainly stayed around home just to keep tabs on him and to make sure the dogs didn't bother him when he was resting.  I did go out to buy dog food (Frodo is picky and of course after buying 6 cans of Gravy Train he's decided not to eat it), special food for my poor sick husband, trips to the post office, and even went to Average Joes with my sister and her friends for music trivia.  I also got to spend more time playing with resin and molds and beading.  This week, I got all kinds of new molds in, and just yesterday Cynthia sent me some great skull molds that I want to pour today.  The weather is outrageously hot for the first part of June so we are already prisoners of air conditioning.  I think Ohio really only has about 3 months out of the year where we can have the windows open with fresh air and do something fun outdoors. 

Dinosaur molds curing

I also have been working on a necklace from Sherry Serafini's book.  Last night, I worked on it more and will have another give away starting soon of not one but two of Sherry's books.  Keep watching as everyone needs one of these for their beading library

Beads, wine, and Sherry's book for a fun evening

 

Synergy project has been coming along great too.  I got the turtle stand done and mounted the doll on it.  I have a little tweaking to do to finish it up.  I also want to mount it onto some foam core board with distressed Tyvek to simulate water.  And I do have a few pearls and beads to add to that.  Then it all goes to my Synergy partner to put her lamp work beads onto it and then off it goes to the competition.  I have a feeling it is going to be a hit.

Belle Island Aquarium piece for "Bead Detroit"

Cyndy Goshman's lampwork flowers