Sakura

Just finished this morning .... Sakura (Cherry Blossoms)

Made as part of a "Sakura" themed YOJ Challenge on the Beading Forum. I'm really happy with how this turned out, especially since it was my first try at making the tiny Cherry Blossoms. The gorgeous focal is, of course, a Peruzi creation. The softness of the colours in this focal worked perfectly with my little Cherry Blossoms.

The necklace is a matt black seedie peyote rope with soft pink drop embellishments, and finished off with Black Onyx, Swarovski Crystals and Sterling Silver.

 

Note: the tutorial I used for the Cherry Blossoms is this one ... really easy once you get into the swing of it :)

SOLD - "Burlesque Nights"

Well I guess it had to happen one day ... my most favourite piece in the world has finally sold. "Burlesque" started my love affair with using in lace in my designs, and one I'm still passionate about. It will be sad to see it go in the post tomorrow, but I know its going to a wonderful home and I think she will treasure it just like I have.

Crimson Willow

With just one kiss,
My crimson tears start falling down blissfully,
For crimson tears is what you need,
When underneath the willow tree.
And underneath the willow tree,
I shall stay with you all night.
For I am yours, eternally,
With only, just one bite.

This piece is a UFO that I've had sitting on my desk for AGES ... finally got the inspiration to finish it today. Each clay cab has been hand beaded with seed beads, with the focal embellished with around 60 Garnet Swarovski Crystals.
 

Brisbane Show results

As usual, I entered two pieces into the Beading category at the Brisbane Show ... more commonly known as the Ekka. I'm proud to say that both pieces placed and are pictured below.

1st Prize

"Snow Queen"

 3rd Prize
"Alice and the Queen of Hearts"

Soutache beading

I bought some Soutache braid during the week, as I've been wanting to try beading with it for such a long time. This weekend I took the plunge, sat myself down, and made a pendant.

Oh WOW, I love this style of beading ... the opportunities are endless!!! Anyway, I've started basic, but I do have plans for a grander piece - maybe a cuff.

Large Swarovski Cosmic flatback, with Swarovski rounds, Soutache braid and a satin rose.

The Big Bang

The Beading Forums' recent YOJ theme was "The Big Bang" ... and what better way to get the creative juices flowing again than with a YOJ Challenge.

The cab in this piece is by a lovely lampie girl call Bree. The first time I saw this cab I just had to have it ... and when I saw this theme, I knew I had the right cab for it. This beautiful black cab has an explosion of colour down the centre that just reminded me of those images you see in space. To create the impression of new stars forming and the explosion of colour that emanates from a "Big Bang", I used, of course, Swarovski Crystals in Jet, Jet AB and a gorgeous Sapphire ABx2.

I love this piece, not only for the colour, but for getting my mojo back into first gear. Hopefully many more will come, and my mojo will switch into second gear. :)

Bit quiet on the beading front

I've been very quiet on the Beading side of things for a little while now. It's amazing how work, kids before/after school activities, and life in general, can get in the way of creative time. Mix that with being sick a couple of times and you have absolutely no creations coming out of this house.

We're in school holidays here at the moment, but slowly my creativity is coming back ... and not just making jewellery. I've been sewing as well!!!! OMG sewing. I've always hated sewing, but the older I get the more I'm getting into things that I once hated. I'd also love to learn how to crochet and knit, but might leave them for a little while.

So what have I been sewing? Well, lots of kids stuff ... and not for my kids. Although they're still my babies, they are just a tad old for the stuff I've been sewing, and I'm pleased to say, selling. mmmm Didn't I just get through saying I have no time to make jewellery or create? LOL well I'm having a hard time finding time to sew as well. Perhaps I should just give up this arty farty thing and just concentrate on the home and kids. NAH, can't do it sorry!!! :)

Anyway, I apologise for not doing any regular posting in the last six months. I'm hoping that this second half of the year will be kinder to me and I'll start churning out some of the pieces I have swirling around in my head. Really must get my sketch book out so I can get some of this stuff out of my head!! So, until the next time I post - which hopefully will be soon - have fun, create and be happy. :)


Oh, before I forget .... this is the one and only piece I've made recently for a friend in Germany. I hope her mum loves it, coz I'm sure in love with it.

This lovely little one features a Peruzi made clay cabochon, surrounded by a bed of seed beads and those gorgeous metal rose sliders I've had in my collection for years.

Alice in Wonderland

Last week I took a ride down memory lane and entered a piece in the Beading Forums weekly YOJ Challenge. The theme? Alice in Wonderland of course!!

I drew inspiration for this piece from the most recent movie of this title - the one with hunky Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter :). A strange but totally fantastic version of the story, so the piece had to be "out there" as well.

Using the brass stamping as the base I glued a face (representing Alice) and a red(ish) heart (representing the totally horrible Queen of Hearts), surrounded it with roses and glittering Swarovski Red Magma flatbacks, and set it upon a base of beautiful red lace in the shape of a heart. Backed first with black LSS to show up the red lace more, then backed again with red ultrasuede (all of which you can't really see in the pics). The necklace is made up of some beautiful red Czech rondelles.

This piece is soooo not my style, but maybe it should be!!! I enjoyed every moment of the process and am really happy with the outcome. So without too much more waffle, here is "Alice and the Queen of Hearts".

Spring Garden series

This is the first part of my "Spring Garden" series that I have underway at the moment.

I've had these gorgeous lucite flowers in my collection for a while now, and when looking at them the other day got the inspiration I needed to use them. A bit of a different set for me - usually I'd do a necklace and earrings, but this time I've done earrings and a ring ... and I think they look great. Definately going to keep going and use the other colours that I have hidden away. :)

Remodel of an old piece

This piece was done a while back for one of the challenges on the Beading Forum. It's been looking a bit tired and boring so I decided to give it a bit of a spruce up :)

I've taken the side bits and the cord away, edged the centrepiece with gold seedies and done up a simple bail to hang off the greek leather. Not alot done in the great big scheme of things, but I think it looks heaps better.

Here's a before and after pic just to show you what I did

2010 Create Your Style Creative Beading Awards

Well, after what seems like an eternity, the results of the Open Division have been announced. Finalists are receiving their copy of "Creative Beading" this week and finding out where they came.

I'm very pleased to announce, and still getting my head around it, that my piece "Jardin des Fleurs Rouges" made it to 2nd place. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out. I'm also so very proud that there are so many of my Beading Forum buddies in the finalists - it's an honour to be included with you girls.

My only problem now ... where the hell am I going to store all those crystals that I get as part of my prize. Holy dooley I'm having storage problems now, let alone when they arrive!!!

Here's my piece - "Jardin des Fleurs Rouges" .... inspired by the garden paintings of Claude Monet. I love Monet's paintings, but especially his garden series. So I went about making my own little garden. For this piece I wanted to use a Swarovski element I'd never used before, and this is where the gorgeous Wing pendants came from. As I wanted to use a rustic sort of red, finding these Wing pendants in Red Magma was a sign :). Using my first love of wire, I made the frame from 14ga wire, wired my flowers together and "enhanced" them with Swarovski pearls and Red Magma rounds, then attached them to the frame. I had these gorgeous copper leaves in my collection for a while and they went so well with the Red Magma that I wired them on as well, just to give a bit of a break in the crystals. The simple bit was wiring smaller bicones and rounds in a multitude of autumn colours to the frame.

I was so stoked that this even made it through to the finalists, let alone that it made it to 2nd place. I'm so glad I took that plunge 5 years ago and did some beading classes ... this has been a fantastic journey and I'm still learning more every day ... and loving it!!!

and the winner is ....

Congratulations Tania from Pelima Designs. You have won the simple, but beautiul, bangle below. I'll be contacting you soon darl. :)

Giveaway

Just because I want to :)

Been playing a little bit lately with brass and stampings ... this is a bit of an experiment, so please excuse the simpleness of it. I've used an antique brass filigree bangle, glued a flower cabochon in the centre of it, painted over the scrolly bits just to highlight them a bit, and enhanced it with tiny little Siam Swarovski chatons. As I said, a bit of an experiment and one I'm hoping to get a bit more into and learn more about.

So, to the rules. You need to comment on this thread with your name and email addy - just so I can contact you if you're the lucky winner - by Monday 28 February, 9a.m. AEST (Aussie time & Qld time). The winner will be drawn by random.org, just to make it all fair. I'll let you all know the winner on Monday.

Let the fun begin :)