Round 4 - BOTB 13

Round 4 pairings have been announced and I think this is my swan song round :). My opponent this round is Edgar Lopez Disenos with his insanely gorgeous and sexy "Diva" neckpiece. Edgar's "Diva" has been one of my favourites through this whole Battle, and I am so honoured to be up against him ... LOL mmm that didn't sound right, but you get what I mean.
Edgar, you have my vote :)

I didn't enter this competition thinking I was going to win, I would never kid myself with that notion. I put my hand up for this so I could push myself, to do something that I wouldn't normally do ... to make a piece I could be proud of. If I managed to get past round 1 then its just the cherry on top of what has been an amazing ride ... to get to round 4 and down to the final 24, well its surpassed everything that I ever hoped for. Like last year, I'm at peace with bowing out in any of the rounds ... and this one is a pretty good one to bow out on.

Good luck everyone

Below are the photos of the Round 4 finalists in their pairings


Round 4 - Group A

 

Ann Braginsky vs Irina Slobodyanik

 

 

Betty Stephan vs Anna Hatvani

 

 

Miriam Shimon vs Tatiana Labutina

 

 

Olga Shumilova vs Irina Oleinik

 

 

Round 4 - Group B

 

 

Regina Krawets vs Tereza Drabkova

 

 

 

Maryanne Villalba vs Edgar Lopez Disenos

 

 

 

Kris Empting Obenland vs Irina Chikineva

 

 

 

Natalia Savelieva vs Marsha Wiest Hines

 

 

Round 4 - Group C

 

 

 

Cath Thomas vs Eva Dobos

 

 

 

Tamuna Lezhava vs Linda Roberts

 

 

 

Svetlana Sametis vs Cleopatra Cosulet

 

 

 

Catherine Chinoy vs Edit Peng

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BOTB 2013 update

I can't believe how hard it is getting to vote. Kudos to Steven and Maja for doing an amazing job with the voting forms. I have agonised over each and every Battle in all the rounds so far. In some cases, its literally been a case of einey meany meiny mo and choosing that way. Sometimes its come down to wearability and technique. But each and every one has been really hard to vote on. But then, it saddens me when I see pieces that have absolutely blown my mind NOT make it through the rounds.

My personal BOTB journey for this year has been wonderful to say the least. My lace neckpiece - "Floral Decadence" - has, as of today, made it through to round 4. I'm very surprised that I've made it this far as my opponents pieces have been gorgeous, and up there as my favourite pieces.

We're down to the nitty gritty end of it now. Only 24 participants remain (8 in each round) ... and blow me down, my piece is still in there!!! The calibre and sheer beauty of the remaining pieces is amazing, and as much as I'd like to make it through to Round 4, methinks I may be kidding myself. :)

There's only two Aussies remaining in this great Battle ... Regina Krawets, and myself. We're flying the flag for you Australia!!

I've enjoyed this ride so much, and I wish each and every one of the remaining participants all the best of luck. To those that have fallen - oh wow, your pieces are amazing ... be proud, be very proud.

Bring on Round 4 :)

Round 1 Battle opponent - Marilyn Norman (UK) - "Dove of Peace"

Round 2 Battle opponent - Apollinariya Koprivnik (Slovenia) - "The Darkest Hour"

Round 3 Battle opponent - Irina Matusihis (Estonia) - "Gelios"

 

 

These are the shots of my piece which I've added with each round.

 

 

 

Round 4 photo is still to be revealed, so I won't put that one up just yet :)

 

The big reveal ....

This afternoon (Monday), Steven posted more reveals for Group B, and Marilyn's and my Battle was revealed.

First up, Marilyn's ... Dove of Peace

 

 

I love the detail in the wings ... and anything that's white is always a big fav :)

and now mine .... now I can see things that I'm going to have to change once this Battle is finished. Hate it when I can see things I should have done differently :)

Floral Decadence

Inspired by the late Victorian era ... think William Morris, and the decadent brocades and fabrics of the time.

Bead embroidery on lace ... The seed beads are 15s except for the flowers which are 11s. Also incorporates a smattering of Swarovski Crystals and that gorgeous enamel brooch

 

 

 

 

 

 

Battle of the Beadsmith 2013

Well that time of the year has come around again. The greatest battle in the world has begun. Two months ago, 192 bead artists from around the world were paired and started their Battle pieces. With a June 1 deadline many late nights, early mornings, all nighters, and all dayers were plaguing many artists. All but a few got their entries in on time.

The finishing time for my piece went down to the wire. Why I do these things to myself is beyond me. I knew when the deadline was ... I knew I had heaps to do ... But life seriously got in the way. But I persevered and got it finished.

Participants were broken into three groups - group A, B, and C. Reveals for Group C were last week, and Group B reveals have started. OMG the sheer talent and calibre of the participants has certainly stepped up. I have seen so much beauty over the last week ... And I'm sure to be wowed with the rest of Group B and the Group A reveals. My piece is Battle number 7 in Group B ... Hopefully revealed sometime today or tomorrow. My most able opponent in this great Battle is Marilyn Norman from the UK ... I can't wait to see what she has done :)

I can honestly say that I'm happy I finished it. However there are certain aspects I wish I had more time on. Perhaps when this mighty battle is finished I'll do some unpicking and redo the bits I'm not happy with. Will I get through to the next round? Well my stock answer is always a big NO just because I can clearly see the flaws in my piece. But I am proud that I finished such a big piece, and for me its a big statement piece, the size of which I have no desire to tackle for a long while LOL

Stay tuned for a full reveal of my piece :)