Dichroic Bracelet

I've wanted to do one of these for a while now - had this bracelet blank sitting here just waiting for me to pull my finger out and do up the little dichroic squares. My fingers were so sore after rounding off the corners - note to self, wear gloves the next time I'm grinding 9mm squares of glass. The colours didn't come out as bright as what I would have liked, but in the right light there are some gorgeous flashes of colour.

I've been tagged

Well ... apparently I've been tagged. Didn't know what it meant until I got it LOL. Thanks to Elizabeth from Evy Designs for tagging me.

OK these are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by including links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

OK now to think of 7 things

1. I hate seafood - except maybe calamari and that has to be crumbed.

2. As a kid I was scared of the dark - as most of us are as kids. To get over it I use to make up stories and generally talk those stories aloud to get myself over the fear and eventually fall asleep. I'm sure I was going senile back then LOL.

3. 30 yrs later .... I still talk to myself when I can't get to sleep. (I'm such a sad case!!!)

4. Originally born in Brisbane, Australia - lived in many places since with moving around as a child, and moving around with my now hubbies work.

5. When I hang up the washing it has to be all towels together, all shorts together, all jeans together ... everything together in its sets. Probably the only thing I'm really picky on.

6. Love the rain! Except for when it floods. I love watching my kids run around in it and getting soaked and having fun .... then coming in for a lovely warm shower.

7. Love going for drives to the beach and sitting there watching the waves roll in, watch the sun setting ... generally relaxing and chilling out.

So there you have it. Ok, now I have to choose my 7 taggees ... but I'll do them tomorrow. I seriously have to get off here and go and make dinner, or the kidlets are going to gnaw my leg off soon. So until tomorrow .......

OK it's tomorrow ... or today ... well you know what I mean :-)

My 7 taggees are ....

1. Hooked on Wire
2. Nellies Treasures
3. Z'annes Bazaar
4. The Ardent Sparrow
5. Sheba Kitty
6. Calla does craft
7. haven't got a clue right now, but I will put one in here :-)

My apologies if you've been tagged already - I'm pretty sure you don't have to do it again.
Have fun.

What to do with an Agate Slice

I have many of these Agate slices in my collection . These slices don't have a hole in them so besides beading around them to make a piece, I also wanted to wire around them as well. This is something I've been working on and off for the last few days. I used a tute that I got from a very thoughtful Beading Forum member for the wire base frame around the slice, and I basically went freeform from there.

Made with Freshwater Pearls, Swarovski Crystals (love my bling bling), and silver. I personally think it's a bit tizzy, but then again, I'm not the greatest girly girl sort of person, so pink is usually out for me .... but, having said that, I am happy with how this one turned out ... and I'm sure someone will love it enough to buy it.

Dichroic Glass

For those that don't know, I'm also doing a Certificate in Visual Arts at TAFE .... and one of the many things I've been learning about is making and using Dichroic glass. Here's my latest batch of Dichroic pendants, just picked up from being fired.

This one below is going to a special friend who is having a birthday next week (27th Oct) ... sssshhhhhh don't tell her.

Now ... if I could just convince my husband that I NEED my own kiln here at home.

There's seedie work afoot!!!!

That's right ... I've been seed beading again and incorporating my new love of bead embroidery. Shock ... horror!!!

These three pieces were done for challenges on the Beading Forum - the first one with the theme "The Masters", the second theme of "Two's Company, Three's a Crowd", and the third theme being "Moroccan Bazaar". All challenging in terms of what to do.

The Masters

I was inspired by Monet for this piece. Casually checking through pictures of his painting and I came across the ones he did of his gardens in Giverny. The colours that he used in the painting are what caught my eye the most .... so I based my piece on these colours. Lilac, orange, green and blue.

The gorgeous flat-backed lentil is by a very talented lampwork Artist here in Australia by the name of Jan Cahill. I loved this bead when I first saw it, and when this challenge came up I just knew I had to use this. Using seed beads I made a netted base and sewed the bead onto the centre of the piece. Around the bead I did alot (and I mean alot) of fringing around it to represent the water and his gardens. This bracelet is so heavy, but I think it's gorgeous ... and will be going into an exhibition of my work that hopefully will be opening soon.

Two's Company, Three's a Crowd

I wanted this to represent the 3 hearts that are involved in the three's a crowd side of things. Two hearts competing for the love of one - this being the bigger centre heart bead. I used pretty lilac and pink colours ... so unlike me by the way ... and using foil hearts, freshwater pearls, swarovski crystals and, of course, seedies. I also wanted to represent that love gives us wings - or at least that's what it does for me ... so I shaped the piece into the shape of wings.

Moroccan Bazaar Challenge

The rules on this piece was that it was to be a pendant and we were to swap with another person from the forum. I'm happy to say that the person who received my pendant loved it ... as did I. We were given a photo full of colourful tangine pots as inspiration, and the colours that caught my eye (well they always do) were turquoise and golden brown. So I went with these colours. Using Chinese Turquoise as the focals and turquoise and silverlined brown for the seedies, this is what I came up with.

Many thanks go to Kazco (Karen) from the Forum for the lovely pendant that I received in the swap. Red is not normally my colour, but I love this, and I'm pretty sure I can find something to wear it with (or maybe I could buy something hehehe).

2008 Create Your Style Swarovski Competition

Well, to add to my complete surprise at getting through to the 1st round of finalists for the comp .... I've made it to the final 30 with the "Raindrops" piece. I was floored with that one. Then when the final 30 were made public on October 1 (view final 30 here), I just couldn't understand how my humble easy peasy piece made it through, because the calibre of entries, and the sheer talent of my fellow finalists, far exceeds my humble piece.

Anyway, I'm just stoked that I've got this far ... totally unexpected, but stoked just the same ... and LOL, I'm even thinking of designs for next years competition. Can't wait for the winner and 10 finalists to be announced - I have my personal ideas on who the top 10 are going to be, and I'm so hoping that some of my fav entries from an earlier post will be included in there. Go Beading Forum members!!!!!!