LIGHT AS A FEATHER!

Nothing too original or incredibly mind blowing here, but I've joined the leather craze and been trying my own scissor hand at cutting tear drops, rounds and straight lines!  Not as easy as I remember it, especially now that we can all zoom way in on any picture... so don't look too close at my cut marks.  I've added my own flair... course... and am trying really hard to just keep them light and airy instead of adding too many dangles.  That's the hard part, because if I add too much, they are no longer light as a feather!  I'm in a summer mindset of creating light, fun accessories, saving the longer-term more intense creating for fall and winter.  These fit the bill perfectly...and these are my first attempts, so stay tuned.  I think there may become many variations of this fun style for JDreams. 

I am also just starting to order from a couple leather vendors, so if you have any suggestions on good people to order from, please let me know.  There are a lot of awesome options out there that I didn't know even existed.

The leather portion of these earrings -- the teardrop -- measures 2"

                              These are smaller -- about 1 1/4" length

CRESCENTS SUBSTITUTE FOR SUPERDUOS

Changing from one shaped bead to another, well, it can change the entire look of a piece!  This pendant is no exception, and since I've been loving the star-shaped pendant design by Deb Roberti, and had made each one as designed with superduos, I was antsy to experiment with the crescent beads.  It was SO FUN to see it materialize!  Working with the crescents was a tad bit tricky, as they don't sit next to each other as easily as the super duos,  but it was worth the effort.  And, because I needed a wedding set, I added earrings (another design by Deb Roberti) and a bracelet (designed by Trendsetter Kathy Simonds).  The colors of this ensemble are not my usual, as I usually go more towards bright.  But, I do love these darker shades together, and the pop of the copper mix 11.0 seed beads helped give some pizazz...  :)  Who knew?

 

 

EARRINGS - FROM FORMAL TO FREE-FORM WIRE WRAP

I wanted to make a formal pair of "wedding" earrings for a friend, so found this pattern "Diamonds in the Rough" by artist Cassie Donien. They are so light and elegant in person - perfect for any wedding fare!  I had a tiny bit of difficulty photographing them in the best light -- I wanted the camera to highlight the AB superduos in the center, as they sparkle ever so beautifully when held up to natural light.  But, alas, that is sometimes the difficult part -- bringing artistry to the eyes of others through a photograph.  I love the overall photo with the tree greenery in the background though... ha ha! 

  

 

The earrings below are my free-forms - I sometimes get in specific moods... and right now, that includes some wire wrapping.  In the pair below, I truly did try to be free-forming, so the wire is not wrapped as exact and tight as I normally would.  The wire has a little air if you will. The green to blue shades of seed beads are lovely together, and I think the 8mm round Swarovski crystal at the bottom, along with the Czech glass milky opal flower cap, pull it all together.  The facets of the crystal are awesome in person. 

 

LOVE how this funky pair below turned out!  I started by making my own wire rounds, using 18 gauge patinaed copper, and then wrapped with 26 gauge.  Once I got started, the colors kept coming!  When I first finished, I felt they needed one more something, so I added the outside wire with add'l beads for some spunk!  Again, love the colors together -- these will be my prototype for future designs.

 

 

 

MY FIRST COLLAR...

Stitching a collar design and having it lay flatly around the neck (without buckling) ... hmmm... a quandry for a tight beader like myself!  This is really a fun pattern (a design by TrendSetter Yasmin Sarfati) and has so many color combination possibilities - it's like a rainbow of color around my neck.  This was my first attempt at a collar, and I feel like I need to try it again - right away - so I can try to bead softer with less pull.  The problem I noticed as I was beading was the thread showing in-between.  Not a look I love.  On the very top row of RAW, I went back through, adding 8 sb in-between the 3mm fp.  That seemed to work, but the subsequent rows buckle slightly.  So, if someone knows the secret, please share! 

MY LOVE FOR COLOR!

"Yummers" says it all for me on this piece.  I worked and worked and re-worked the colors to come up with a final combination on the 2-hole triangles that spoke to me.  This combination sang loudly - and I had my aha moment!  Love those times when you just know, cuz you feel it, see it and hear it!  A pattern designed by Agnieszka Watts, a Starman Trendsetter, from Bead and Button, with my own design for the closure, adding in some 3mm fire polish for adventure.  A fun new look for a button closure.

NEW EARRING INSPIRATION!

Not colors I would have necessarily chosen, but I received a special order request for bright primary colors, so I gave it an honest try and ... judge for yourself below, but I can honestly say I think these turned out beautifully.  I'm going to make myself a pair too - I think the colors combine incredibly.  The first pic below is indoor light, and the last few are outdoor natural.  It truly makes a difference in how the colors come through.

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.

REDIRECTION OF A PROJECT

This was a fun project, and the colors were just oh... so gorgeous, but alas, it was one of those projects where you spin your wheels, you learn (AFTER remaking it twice!) and then it's just time to put it down.  I had this bracelet all but complete, for the second time, as shown in these first two pics below, just needed to finish the peyote stitch on one side of the magnet to cover the silver - when I put it on to show my hubby how lovely it had turned out - and, splish splash... one of the tiles came loose (and the tiles are critical, since they make up the base of the pattern) and the rest came tumbling down thereafter.  Yes, I bead tight, and my tiles must have been sharp on the inside, because the fireline looked like it was cut, even though I had gone back through the entire bracelet two times. Oh me oh my... what a sad day for me.  A beautiful bangle bracelet pattern designed by Vezsuzsi and taught by the lovely Sandy at Bead Street.  So... nothing left to do but let my own creative juices flow.  I just started stitching with all the same beads, sans the tiles, to make my own pattern.  See below for that project.

My JDreams original below - not as fancy as the intricate pattern above, but I'm in love with it, and so far so good - it's wearing just fine...out of disappointment comes new light, or creativity ... or something like that! HA!