INSPIRATION FROM THE HOLLY DAZE!

Happy New Year 2020 everyone!!!  I am working hard at not writing 2019 on everything... updating my blog has steadily been moving up my catch-up list. I haven't posted any of my projects from about Halloween through Christmas because it always feels like such a whirlwind.  Today, those few months all seem like a blur of magic dust!  But, onward I march into 2020 with a smile on my face and peace in my heart... most days!  Here are some of my wonderful projects that kept my mind and soul busy during the Holly-Daze.

I'm starting with beautiful original art metal by Gaea - the colors are so "me".  A perfect piece for fall, or anytime really.  The branch is from another wonderful artist, Dana George, New Moon Design (that was also in my stash), and it fit perfectly with this piece.  I wire wrapped farfalle beads as the connector to the branch and embellished the piece overall until I was happy with the look.  More farfalle beads, fire polish, czech glass leaves and coins, flower caps and pips.  It's just a happy piece.  My elderly mother looked at it around my neck and said "is that a picture of you"?  Why yes... yes it is!  Ha.  A likeness in coloring for sure.  Thank you Gaea. 

An adorable pendant from my stash... not sure where I purchased it, maybe Artbeads a very long time ago.  My 5 year old granddaughter Lily loves unicorns and sparkles, so this was a special piece for her December birthday!! 

Two original artist pieces were integral to this next project.   I feel so very fortunate to have several wonderful artists to follow and learn from.  They all take turns in my creations, and my own creations are so much better because of them.  I am grateful to have their inspiration!  Tracee Dock Classic Bead created the ceramic donut, which was in my stash and was just what I needed to work as a connection between the Eagle Zuni Bear pendant by Nicole St. Laurent (Ravens Meadow) and the necklace.  I wire wrapped each piece together and then added some of LaShell's (Design Talented One) beautiful fibers to soften the connection.  I love that look!  The necklace has many different beads -- some wood, some czech rondelles, czech leaves and metal spacers.  So fun!  The earrings are 11.0 delicas in brick stitch - my own design coordinating the many colors in the necklace. 

The next piece includes a Heather (Humblebeads) polymer clay bird.  Her birds are always beautiful and unique and just plain fun.  I have to reteach myself on the wire nest wrapping each time, and sometimes that's more of a challenge than I expect... but always fun!  The polymer square in the earrings are Heather's as well, which match so nicely with the necklace.  I added some czech glass and farfalle bead dangles, plus some painted little bird egg charms.  All very light and chirpy!!! :)  

more projects yet to be posted.  Stay tuned... 

SUNFLOWERS OF A DIFFERENT HUE!

A piece incorporating both Tracee Dock [Classic Bead] and Gaea Cannaday in this one wonderful necklace.  I have a stash of both artist's creations and I truly need to quit hoarding them.  So, I chose this incredible, and so unusual, stoneware blue/green/yellow sunflower button from my Tracee stash and started wire wrapping with 18 gauge copper wire I had patinaed.  While it took me a couple of different wraps and subsequent removals of all the wire (#$%^&) plus a few choice words along the way... the resulting necklace is pretty unique and wonderful.  I added one of Gaea's larger round beads in green, with a dangling copper heart, and some 3mm fire polish to both the chain and the dangle.  See what you think -- I think it's pretty fun!  

And, I added some darlin earrings to this set below. Before I finished them I found some small lapis hearts to add to the top.  Love this set -- and, it is now SOLD!

MIX N MATCH OF SUMMER!

My creative inner beader has suffered this summer.  Seems like being outdoors, in our garden, sitting in a chair sipping a lovely cold beverage, or a variety of other nice weather activities have all taken priority for my available time.  I do miss my "creative self" right now, but I guess not enough to get back to my routine.  Soon enough I keep saying... so for now, here are my very few projects completed since my last post. 

Some adorable little Cubic Cuties, as the stitch designer, Anna Elizabeth Draeger, calls them.  They truly are adorbs in my earring design!  It did take one of my beading sistahs and myself a little time to get the cube thing down, making it fit together evenly.  Unfortunately, you can't see the Swarovski crystals in the peachy/turquoise pair - they are hidden in the center of the cube, but they are the same color as just above the drops.  Thanks one more time Sharon for the wonderful idea of the 6mm bugles, and for sharing some with me.  They pretty much put the finishing touch on the cube in my opinion!

This darling necklace is my design, using one of Tracee Dock's (Classic Bead) adorable ceramic pendants, along with some free form wire wrapping and bead stringing.  I have many many of Tracee's hand crafted artisan pendants and beads, and I keep them safe -- until I am ready to let go of one.  They are all unique and wonderful.  This one is no exception.  A posie in greens and yellows.  So cute! 

And below, one of my works in progress... Nope, it's not quite done -- close -- but not done.  It's a very fun bracelet, but peyote takes some time, and getting the right 8.0 sb to "puff" for the diamonds, around the 11.0 sb base, took a bit.  I love the bright colors... big surprise! Yep, I'm almost done.  One more row of blue/turquoise transparent drops down one side and it'll be ready for wrist viewing.  Ha ha!

BACK TO IT IN STYLE!

The Holidays are behind me and this New Year 2016 well under way!    The first three months of this year will be filled with lots of new designs, creativity with my wonderful beading friends / designers, and some gift making, all with a happy heart as I sit down to bead.  There really isn't anything I'd rather be doing when I need to "zone out" and be one with my inner creative girl.  It is a very therapeutic hobby, which I love.  So... Here I go...this set is new for 2016.  A lovely pendant from Tracee Dock at the Classic Bead, went beautifully with the daintiness of the final piece.  The copper twigs are wonderful (altho little hard to find) and I added a little patinaed wire wrapping to attach the pendant to the necklace. As I was making the earrings I knew they would be wonderful, and they are!  The horseshoe shape (design by Jennifer and Susan Schwartzenberger (Beadwork, winter 2016) adds a new dimension I think -I am still in love with the art of stitching around a component (of any kind). The bracelet is a pattern from Preciosa they named Thorny Twig, learned en masse with my beading buddies in our first gathering for awhile.  It was a wonderful Saturday!  Note the new Chilli beads which Eileen is carrying at Bead Street.  Thank you to Sandy and Eileen for helping us make this new design.
 

TURNING TO FALL WITH METALLIC FLAIR!

This set almost didn't make it to it's intended!  Ha.  It's a piece made for a dear girl - that girl who was so instrumental in helping me get started on this incredible beading journey.  Happy birthday Aimee!  This project all started with the earrings, and I chose the colors specifically for Aimee - the combo and sheen go with just about anything black/brown (or any combination thereof) and Aimee does love those colors.  And, then the pendant, well, that incredible sun/moon pendant, from none other than Tracee Dock of The Classic Bead was just too perfect!  

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TWO SIDED BEADED BEAD STATEMENT PIECE!

I love the versatility of this double-sided beaded bead from my last post (Vezsuzsi).  In this project I made it bigger than the original pattern, using 11/0 and 8/0 sb, along with 6 mm fp, and made it my focal, along with this wonderful pendant, from one of my favorite clay artists, Tracee Dock @ The Classic Bead.  It is a wonderful spring/summer piece.  And, I made darlin' bird earrings to match using the smaller beaded version from the original post.  L O V E!  (THIS DARLIN SET HAS SOLD!)

 

Snowflake Inspired Necklace

I love this modified tubular herringbone pattern of Eileen Barker's design - from a previous post - named Tubari.  In this version I added 3mm rounds to the 8mm sb and rizzos.  And, this beautiful pendant by Tracee Dock at the Classic Bead .  Perfect time of year for a beautiful artisan ceramic snowflake.  Tracee does beautiful work and I have several of her pieces, still waiting to be attached to that perfect stitch!

 

For the back part of the necklace I added some incredible Czech glass stones, and wire wrapped inbetween.  You can see the marbling in the stone in the closer up photo of the earrings below.  I also added little silver snowflake charms for a contrast to the copper wire.  I think that makes them stand out a bit more.

 

 

BRACELETS GALORE!

A design by Eileen Barker renamed "Along the Seine" River (created during one of her trips to Paris!) and taught by Sandy Taylor at Bead Street.  It uses herringbone stitch down the middle with the 2-hole superduos (I interpersed both matte and polished super duos in the light yellow), 1.5 or 1.8 cubes for the peyote stitch and then finished with 11.0 sb.  It's a great pattern with lots of possibilities, which is another good teaching for me -- I bead tightly and as I continued to stitch this design, it continued to pull in the length... leaving me with a bracelet that was shorter than when I started!  Here's where the creative side of my brain has to kick in.  I haven't finished the bracelet below yet - no longer than normal closure designed as yet... so stay tuned.  However, the next pictures are the same pattern - a little more SPRING (in my step!) for sure.  I do love it when my creativity kicks in...

This is a pattern where it is important that your beads are close to the same size, and all in good shape -- culling them would be a good thing to do -- I was tring to pay attention, but alas, didn't notice and one of mine is slightly mis-shapen so it didn't fit in as well as it should have - if you look real close you will see it in the picture above.

This is the same design as above, just finished with a great closure, adding two rounds of super duos (on both side ends of the bracelet) and 11.0 sbs and a peyote stitched bar!  Aren't the colors fun?!  I think I may have lost the "Seine River" in this version - the center super duos are not as pronounced using two colors, but I love the different feel and look of the same pattern.  And, the added focal point of lucite flowers in the middle - large orange, mid sized bright pink and smaller turquoise, layered, add some add'l fun.  This is gonna be an eye catcher!

I continue to strive to make a leather wrap that goes flawlessly!  This one is getting there...I like the European looking Edelweiss clasp/button.

I think this is my favorite thus far, and it's a single wrap!  The mustard leather is so awesome with the turquoise 6mm Fire Polish and the closure is FANTASTIC -- it's a ceramic bead/button, made by Tracee Dock at The Classic Bead  Tracee is one of my favorite artists for sure!