2008 Create Your Style Swarovski Competition

Well that time of the year is nearly over - as of midnight tonight entries to the comp will close and the judges can start sifting through the multitude of entries that they have.

These are some of my favourite pieces from this years competition.

Rise of the Phoenix - Huan Pham

Dance of the Fire Phoenix - Caroline Fung

Moonstruck - Melissa Player

Daoine Sidhe - Lauren MacGregor

Across the Universe - Annette Sharpe

and finally....

Splash - Noel Wyres

You can see the entries here http://www.crystalpark.com.au/cgi-bin/cn17325/awards_3.html?id=86V83DbY hope you like looking at them as much as I have.

Beaded Agate Slice

As the name says ... I've beaded around one of my collection of Agate slices. Now usually I'm a wire person, and I would wire around said Agate slice, but I decided to take advantage of my new love of seedies and try to encase it instead. Well after this piece I'm sure my love of seedies has waned a bit ... I don't think I've sworn at a piece so much, and I had to unpick the damn thing about 3 times ... ggggrrrr. Those little buggers just didn't want to sit right around the slice.

To make things worse, I broke the middle finger on my left hand a couple of weeks ago, and it just made things so much slower and ever so slightly painful if I held it the wrong way.

Anyway it was finished this morning ... still undecided as to whether I will put a fringe on it, but the more I look at it the more I like it. I'll be visiting a friend later - who is an excellent seed bead artist - so I will ask her opinion.

The seedie bug bites me

Yes ... I'll admit it ... I love the little buggers. I've crossed over to the seedie way of thinking, and I can understand the passion that you seedie ladies (and men) have for these little beadies. Who would have thought that I, me who hates small beadies with big hands, would make anything with seedies.

Once I finished my Davy Jones Locker piece I knew that I had to try this bead embroidery stuff that I've been seeing around the net. So off I went and got myself some Lacy's Stiff Stuff, some ultra-suede, and a new supply of beadies. Now to choose cab to bead around. I didn't have to go far - I have so many polished stones in my collection that one of them must do. I chose a gorgeous stone, whose name escapes me right now, in deep brown and creamy coppery tones.

I must say that at first the passion escaped me until I got past the bezel part. Once I got past that everything just flowed, and by the end of it I was totally in love with yet another part of beading. I love the effect you get with bead embroidery .... I have found a new passion. LOL

I would like to, one day, teach myself to do a spiral or netted rope to hang these beautiful creations off, but I'm taking one step at a time for now. No use rushing these things. :-)

Anyway, here is my first beaded cab - simply strung onto ribbon/cord.

2008 Mackay Show

Well, THAT time of the year has come and gone, again. Yes, June marks the start of Show season around here. Now I wasn't going to enter this, for various reasons, one of them being all the hoo haa that surrounded last years show. But I decided at the last minute to make an effort and enter.

It's not important to me to enter competitions with the sole aim of winning - I'm realistic ... I know there are ladies (and men) out there who are far more talented at this game than what I am, so my expectations are always pretty low. So I entered four pieces - 3 x wire work pieces, and 1 x threadwork.

Imagine my surprise when I went into the Show on the first day to find that not only had I won 1st prize for three of my entries, but I also had won Champion of Show for the second year running. I was gobsmacked, and just a little bit humbled by it all. I had great pleasure in texting my hubby and letting him know - he is my greatest critic and still doesn't understand my passion for this craft. I think he secretely hopes that one day I'll pack it all in and go back to being boring old Maryanne. Not a hope in hell darl :)

Anyway here are my entries for this year's Mackay Show. Enjoy.

1st Prize ~ Threadwork ~ Necklace

1st Prize ~ Wire Work ~ Necklace

and finally ....

1st Prize ~ Wire Work ~ Bracelet
and
Champion of Show

First foray into Threadwork

Now it's common knowledge that I generally hate seed beeds, or for that matter any small beads. Me with the big hands that I have and small beadies just don't go!!! Well recently on the Beading Forum they had a Challenge with the theme being "Davy Jones Locker". So with that in hand I decided to bit the bullet and make something that was predominantly seedies. I researched how to get started, and decided that freeform netting was probably the easiest of stitches I could go for ... and I could do a smattering of peyote in there somewhere.

Now I had a certain image in my head when I started, and true to form I changed it as I went along, and the fringe, well that was an after thought!!! LOL.

Anyway it took me a while to do it, but the end result is something I am sooooo happy with. Presenting "Lost Souls" ~ it represents the jewels scattered over the ocean bed (sand), the fringe representing not only seagrass, but also the outstretched arms of lost souls reaching out for a treasure they can never obtain. Pretty deep hey .. LOL it sounded good at the time.