Been out of action

As the title says ... I've been out of action for a few weeks. My back finally gave out on me and blew a disc (prolapsed disc) and I've been slowly, but surely, healing. It has meant that I haven't been able to sit down for longer than 5 minutes at a time ... so no beading :( , no getting on the computer :( , in fact not much of anything except lying on the couch.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel with the help of a wonderful chiro who's been attempting to fix 15 years worth of damage to my back. The result - this week I've actually been able to sit for longer periods of time, I'm walking better, and depending less on painkillers. So I'm hoping that I may be able to fit some beading in somewhere, and catching up on my posting. :)

Take care all :)

New listings

I actually got around to doing some new beading this week ... after 6 weeks of doing nothing!!!

So besides the Snow Queen (pics below), I've also managed to do a couple of simple necklaces and a pair of earrings.

Moonlight

Moonstone & Labradorite sterling silver pendant, with Moonstone and Labradorite beadies, and a sterling silver clasp.

Dark and Stormy

Big beautiful Labradorite facetted slabs, wire-wrapped with freshwater pearls and Comet Argent Swarovski Crystals.

Peruvian Opal earrings

Peruvian Opal, Smokey Quartz and sterling silver

Treasury pics

Just happened to be in the right place at the right time today and scored myself my first Treasury Main.

Full of items from my favourites list


And below are Treasuries that I've been featured in so far this year - thankyou all for including me in your lovely Treasuries.

My Verdegris Heart necklace - top centre

My Scarlet Woman necklace - third row, first pic

Horned Owl Pendant - last row, third pic

Horned Owl Pendant - first row, third pic

Sun Man brooch - Fourth row, first pic

Pearly Shell Wedding Bracelet - First row, first pic

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

Feature article

At the end of last year I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Tina from Your Daily Muse. That interview has been featured this week. Please visit "Your Daily Muse" and check out the many artists that she has featured .... their work is amazing.

The link to my interview is here.

Thankyou Tina for this opportunity, I had alot of fun answering your questions.

Feature Artist - Evy Designs

Seeing as things are a bit quiet for me on the jewellery making front at the moment, I've decided that I'm going to start featuring Artists that inspire me ... starting with Elizabeth from Evy Designs.

Elizabeth hails from Yorkshire in England, and her jewellery designs are to die for. Being a mix of contempory to classic, all her designs convey a beauty that is timeless.

Some of my favs ....

Willow Bracelet

Coralis Earrings

On the Grapevine



Peacock and Pearl Earrings



You can see more of Elizabeth's work in her blog, Etsy store, and her website.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Yeah I know it's a bit late, but hey, better late than never.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, and that this very New Year brings lots of happiness to all of you. Here's to a creative and inspiring year!!! :)

Use the Muse III revealed

Finally I can show my piece from the Use the Muse III competition run by Scarlett Larson.

Autumnal Muse

This Muse - the gorgeous copper butterfly - conjured up memories of flowers, gardens, romanticism and Autumnal colours. Using bead embroidery, some newly acquired lace flowers, and learning how to make peyote leaves, I set about creating a romantic Autumnal garden for this “musing” butterfly.

A butterfly lights beside us, like a sunbeam ... and for a brief moment it's glory and beauty belong to our world ... but then it flies on again, and although we wish it could have stayed, we are so thankful to have seen it at all.
Anon

You can check out all the entries and the winners here.

Beading goals for 2010

As we near the end of 2009 - (and believe me I am personally glad to see this year bite the dust) - and we round the corner to 2010, I get to thinking where I'd like my beading, and wearable art, to go next year.

There are so many techniques out there that I just don't know about, so my main objective is to learn lots of new techniques .... things like a spiral rope (can't believe I haven't done this one yet). Ndebele is another technique I'd like to take up. I'd like to take my wire-work to another level - get out of this rut that I seem to have found myself in with wire, and explore and create more satisfying pieces out of this great medium. As far as Bead Embroidery goes ... I'd like to explore and make the designs that have been swimming around in my head for ages ... and incorporate the new techniques I want to learn. It seems that seed beads have taken over my beading desk LOL ... I know I have "normal" beads on there somewhere, but these pesky little things just get in the way. :)

2010 sees my first major Exhibition as well - set down for the month of May. I am both scared and excited all at the same time at the prospect of doing this. Now, I'm sure everything will turn out OK, and if I can sell some of my pieces, that would be a major bonus.

Competitions seem to be a major part of my beading life now ... I love the challenge of entering competitions. The 2010 Swarovski comp is one that I've already got a piece made for - and I hope to explore wire and crystals again next year for the same comp. I also hope to be entering more shows - Brisbane and Sydney just for starters. The "Muse" competition (a US based comp) - run by Scarlett Lanson, is one that I just love entering as it inspires me to go that little bit further ... and who doesn't love a mystery with the "Muse".

So, 2010 ... I'm hoping that it's a better year, and it brings lots of new and exciting ventures. :)

Burlesque Nights

I can't believe I made this in one day!!!

Created for a themed challenge - "Burlesque". After a bit of research about Burlesque, I knew I had to use some of the black lace motifs I got down in Brisbane last month. I pulled off the beads that were on them and replaced them with my own ... black and red AB seedies, Czech FPs and Czech flowers ... all on red ultrasuede. The centrepiece is Black Onyx with a window bezel, surrounded by red Czech FPs.

It all came together so well, and I'm so in love with it ... I love this style. Now I know what to do with the rest of the lace I got :).


Burlesque Nights

Free shipping

Yep, you read right .... you're NOT going crazy ... for this weekend ONLY on my Etsy store ... I'm offering FREE world-wide shipping on all items. From Friday 27/11 to Monday 30/11

This is your chance to get that special Christmas pressie for someone, or maybe yourself!!!

New etsy items & photos

Just a tiny one today :)

Finally got around to uploading a couple of pieces this morning that I haven't had on Etsy before. I've also replaced some rather cruddy looking photos that I had on there for other products. Hopefully they look OK now.

New piece and a Treasury or two

Wine Under Blue Skies

This one is for me .... made for my partners work xmas party tonight (matches my new shirt). Featuring beads from a very talented clay/ceramic artist - Natalie @ Peruzi, some spacer lampies from Lampwork artist Jan Cahill, Czech FPs, seedies, Fluorite and Swarovski Crystals in the new gorgeous colour - Cyclamen Opal.


I'm also chuffed that I've been featured in another Etsy Treasury. "A Hint of Gold in a Cerulean Sky" by Windyriver features some very gorgeous jewellery pieces, including my Blue Swirls necklace. Thankyou WR :)

This one is by AngelqueCreations titled "Here Comes the Sun", full of gorgeous summery pieces and my humble Sun Man brooch. Thanks once again Angelque

Treasury features

I'm stoked again to be featured in another Etsy Treasury ... "Wintery Days" by AngelqueCreations ... with my wired Dragonfly Brooch. Thankyou Angelque :)


and this one by MaryTDesigns, who has featured my "Dark Faerie" necklace. I loved making this one, so I'm chuffed to have this one featured so soon after listing it. Thanks Mary.

And again, this time with my "Ouro Preto" pendant in a gorgoeus earthy treasury by enchantedbeas, thanks darl :)

Muse teaser

OK .... so we're not allowed to reveal the Muse until Scarlett has, so I'll just give you a little teaser ... hope you like it. :)

See ... little teaser!!!!!

The Butterfly's Ball

I started making this piece about three weeks ago for the YOJ challenge on the Beading Forum - "Masquerade". However, what seems to be a common thing for me lately, I didn't get it finished in time LOL. Have been plodding along since then "attempting" to get it finished. Well, yesterday it finally happened ... I FINISHED IT!!!!

Now the colours .... I've not used these colours together before, and now I'm left wondering why I never have. They compliment eachother so well and just so much at home next to eachother. I can see more teal/turquoise/purple being used in the future.

This piece is going to be a christmas present for my eight year old daughter .... I'm going to get it framed in one of those box frames, and that way she can either have it on the wall, or have it sitting on her chest of drawers. I'm sure she's going to love it.

I'm going to try and make a dragon or two for the boys ... but we'll have to see whether I can pull my finger out and get them done. So many beady things going around in my head at the moment LOL.

I got featured ....

in Etsy Treasury West ... twice

My first one!!! I'm so happy someone likes my little Sun Man brooch to feature him ... and of course there's some absolutely gorgeous pieces from other Etsy sellers that have been featured in "Orange" as well ... I love the lillies. Thankyou njema :)

Updated 3 November 2009

Found this one today in my wanderings around the site ... my sun man brooch again!! Thankyou SmadarsTreasure :)

Lace motifs

I've been thinking about using lace in my designs for ages, and in my Etsy wanderings last week I came across Jennie's Heirlooms. She's an Aussie seller, and her hand dyed lace pieces are absolutely gorgeous .... I just had to buy some.

Well the order arrived today, and oh my are they even more gorgeous IRL. I even got some complimentary lace motifs ... so thankyou very much Jennie.

If you're interested in lace motifs, then you have to check Jennie's site out.

New items added

Well, it's been a while, but I've finally added some new items to my Etsy store ... and all going well, I'll add some more this week.

I've also started replacing my photos on my items. My previous photos were ... shall we say ... crap!!! So yesterday I sat down and took over 100 photos (new items included) and forced myself last night to sit on here and change the photos over. I think they look alot better - still have some to take and replace, but it's a start. Let me know what you think of the new photos, I'd like to get some feedback ... good or bad. :)

Isis - Mother of the Gods

This piece was made for a beading challenge on the Beading Forum, with the theme "Jewel of the Nile".

I drew my inspiration from two sources ...

1. Crescent Moon ... Among the most powerful of all lucky symbols, the crescent is especially lucky for young children and their mothers.In ancient Egypt, the crescent moon was the symbol of Isis, the Mother of the Gods. As the Queen of Egypt, Isis was the protector of motherhood, women, and healer of the sick. She also rules magic.

2. The Menat ... This symbol represents a heavy beaded necklace with a crescent shaped front and a counter piece at the rear. It was a symbol associated with the goddess, Hathor and her son, Ihy. In fact, Hathor was known as the "Great Menat". Hathor used the Menat as a conduit, through which she passes her power. It was representative of joy, life, potency, fertility, birth, and rebirth

I made my piece in the crescent shape, but instead of having the counterweight at the back, I brought it to the front. Love my Egyptian brass components :). Anyway, I used size 11 Slate Blue and size 15 24ct gold seedies .... I never want to see another size 15 seedie again - LOL!!!! I'm going to add in a fringe at some stage - but as I was working to a deadline I unfortunately ran out of time before this could be done.

Isis - Mother of the Gods