Ice Queen

This piece was made as part of the Ice Queen challenge on the Bead Mavens site. Once again, I left it to the last minute to get something done. In fact I only thought of what to do late last night. So away I beaded into the night - got three hours sleep - and beaded the day away, to make the deadline by 10 minutes. Why I do these things to myself I'll never know LOL. All up, there 13.5 hours of frantic work in there.

Anyway my explanation .....

The Ice Queen admires the tendrils of ice around her neck ... but wait!! In amongst all this coldness and despair ... beauty survives.

Made with a braid neckpiece/motif, lots of seedies and Crystal AB Swarovski's to represent the icyness. The winter white roses represent the beauty that survives.

 



Holiday Treasures

The theme for the Etsybeadweavers November Challenge is "Holiday Treasures". When I think of Christmas I always think of the big family christmas' we used to have when we were kids. It was a time for the whole family to be together ... all the cousins catching up and having fun ... and of course there was the food. Oh my the christmas fare was to die for. My Aunties German cookies are always a fave, the Christmas Puddings that my mum cooks up, the Rum Balls, and I can't forget the Pav. Beautiful and crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey on the inside, and topped with cream and berries.

Hence my piece is a tribute to that Pavlova. Gorgeous handmade Lampwork cabs by Australian Lampwork Artist Anne Dundas, with her aptly named set "berries & cream". It also features are beautiful deep red dichroic cab as the centrepiece, surrounded by Swarovski Crystals and seedies. The colours remind me of that beautiful Pav and the berries. Yummo!!!!

It's been a while since I made a cuff, and I really must do another one soon ... I'd forgotten how much fun it is.

To see this, and all the other gorgeous entries for this Challenge, please visit the team blog, http://www.etsy-beadweavers.blogspot.com/  between the 9th and 15th and vote for your favorite entry.

Christmas Fare

New giveaway

You know, I never thought that I would embrace FB like I have. It's been a wonderful meeting place, and I have met so many wonderful beady people. So as a way to say thankyou for your continued support, I'm having a little giveaway.

These earrings are so cute, but I'm so over size 15 seedies LOL. The colours in these acrylic cabs are so beautiful - blues/olive green. These earrings are a bit of a first for me in that it's the first time I've used picot edgeing straight onto the ultrasuede. Must admit that I love how they've turned out. The earring hooks are Sterling Silver by the way.

So, what do you have to do? It's easy ... just comment below with your name and email addy (so I know who you are), before Monday 18th at 7.00 a.m. (Aussie EST). I'll announce the winner that morning.

Colour My Love

My newest piece ... just finished this morning.

I started this piece a few weeks back when I was madly making all that wedding stuff for the Bridal Show. I thought of doing this as something different - "out of the norm" so to speak for a wedding. Well, true to form, I didn't get it finished in time for the Show .... but actually I'm glad I took my time on this one. It's the first time I've ever made beaded beads - albeit little ones - but I love doing them so much I want to do more.
Rich sumptuous reds - clay heart tiles, seedies, Swarovski Crystals (lots of them), and a gorgeous Sterling Silver and Garnet toggle clasp
 

Jeanne Antoinette - Madame du Pompadour

Jeanne Antoinette was better known as "Madame du Pompadour - she was the mistress of Louis XV.


This piece was started back in April as part of a themed Challenge "Madame du Pompadour". When I started researching pics of this famous mistress, I saw pretty blues, lace, flowers, brocade, ribbons ... so I endeavoured to make a choker-style piece based on all those things. This is the result ... a winding branch of pretty blue flowers.

Made with seed beads, Czech FPs, Czech flowers, lace flowers, and Swarovski Crystals. Finished off at the back with a deep blue satin ribbon.

Hope you like her :)

In flight

This piece was my entry to the Australian Beaders competition - the kit sort of stumped me there for a while, but in the last week before posting it finally came to me what to do. I had also recently received a copy of Beverly Ash Gilberts gorgeous book "Beaded Colorways" and it has inspired so much. I ended up making a bit of a bead soup with the beads from the kit and adding some blue seedies into the mix ... it worked, which is really good coz I didn't fancy picking out all those blues from the soup LOL. This is my first foray into freeform beadweaving, and I'm hoping to do alot more in the future.

Flight

Blue Metallica

These beautiful dichroic cabs have been in my collection for a while now just waiting for the right inspiration ... a lovely Etsy lady from adornedintreasure made them, and they are spectacular in real life.

Took me a few goes to get this right - I've unpicked it a few times, and wasted alot of thread in the process. It has changed a little from my original design as I decided in the end to use ribbon/twine as the necklace part. The front is pretty "out there" so it really didn't need a flashy necklace part as well.

This is piece number two from my special commission request. I've decided to make a couple of pieces for them to choose from - this and the beautiful Cyclamen Serenade piece below - I may even go one more. I'm hoping that whichever one they choose, that she'll adore it.

Seahorses Playground - DQ19

This piece was made as part of the Designer Quest Challenge on the Beading Forum.

My mojo left me a few weeks ago when my back went out, so it actually took me a long while to get the bolt of inspiration I needed to get this made before the challenge ended ... I scraped it in with a few days to spare.  The lovely pack for this Challenge was provided by Dani from The Whimsical Beads - she made the seahorse focal herself.

The piece has a peyote rope base which has been embellished with glass shell beads, seed beads and metal rounds. The seahorse is floating on a bubbly fringed bed of seed beads, glass shell beads and metal rounds. He looks very magical in real life :)

Snow Queen

My latest piece I made over the weekend ... Snow Queen. Made as part of a YOJ challenge on the Beading Forum - "White Witch". My inspiration for this piece has come from the White Witch from Narnia ... so I wanted my piece to look icy and cold ... just like her I guess :).

Made with Crystal and Aquamarine chips, lots of clear and white seedies, that huge crystal quartz in the middle, some rock crystal nuggets and just a smattering of Swarovski crystals. I love this piece as it is so tactile, and it just looks like ice crystals forming. I am undecided though whether I should put some sort of fringing on it ..... so I'd love your input to help me decide.

Oh and you can thank my lovely daughter for the name ... she didn't like White Witch as a name and wants it called Snow Queen ... hence she wins. :)

Thanks for looking

Snow Queen