STENCILING ON METAL WITH PAINT!

A couple more metal projects using stencils and paint -- so much fun!  Thanks to Heather at Humblebeads for inspiring me to try this technique - she does incredible, fun projects and takes us along to explore new art dimensions.  It just takes a steady hand (hard as you get older!!), a piece of metal, some Vintaj paints, and a stencil.  So many options to explore with stencils... I love these sets.  I added some chain and some danglies for the necklaces and assembled some darlin' earrings to go with.  Dress em up or down.  My daughters-in-law look great in these darlin' sets!  Just like new fall clothes, you gotta have a new fall set for your ears and neck too!  :) 

BLUE AND PURPLE DEW DROPS

Beautiful blues and purples - what's a better combo?  The gorgeous shades of blue in this bracelet really gave me something to cheer about.  I started the pattern with what became the earrings - slightly lighter shades and I just felt like I needed more, so I  switched a few bead shades and oh my - color is truly what makes the world go round.  Can you see the drops interspersed on either side?  Love that... I diverted slightly from the original Marcia Balonis' pattern aptly named "Dew Drops" and added a 2-hole pyramid in the center to give it some pop!!  I also added a short strip of peyote on either end, with a bronze metal clasp.  I really like these interlocking clasps - I just need to remember they take up some room, so sizing a bracelet is a bit more of a challenge. 


Thanks Sandy for teaching this fun class at Bead Street!  And, for all those sweet goodies from my fellow beaders.  It was a wonderful Valentine's class!  And, last but not least...Sharon...your unexpected thoughtfulness truly overwhelmed me.  Thanks so much!  Random acts of kindness... 

These earrings came together so nicely.  Especially after I spotted the large rounds at Bead Street.  I kind of had a vision of the end result, and low and behold, here it is...Love the flower brass bead caps.  They kind of finish the look.

2-HOLE PYRAMIDS 'N' BRICKS

Been a couple of weeks, as I've been unable to get to my blog, and also I've been in Montana visiting our son and daughter-in-law.  We have a beautiful new granddaughter, so I was incredibly fortunate to spend some time with these great kids, my new girl, Lily, and her brother Noah, who is 3 this Sunday.  Oh, it's so glorious to be a grandparent, and now to have a girl, well... need I say more?  Two grandsons and a granddaughter, and life is good.  

Here's my newest bracelet, a design by Vezsuzsi named "Rasmus" and taught by Sandy at Bead Street.  I have truly been missing my beadin' friends, and excited to get back to it this weekend.  This pattern used several two-hole beads, but the pyramids are my favs at the moment!  I mixed up as many colors as I could think of on this one, and really love how it turned out.  Lots of spring colors... purples, turquoise, the bright green pyramids, light purple 2-hole tiles, and multi-green 2-hole bricks.  Orange 8/0 sbs, turquoise 11/0 sbs and purple 15/0 sbs complement the design.  I added a magnet closure and peyote stitched it, to give it the final finish.

And, here's just a little peek at my darlins in MT...