BOTB Etsy Treasury

Some of the Battle of the Beadsmith entries have been listed for sale on Etsy.  Sharayah Sheldon (see her Etsy shop here) created the treasury.

To find out more about the Battle of the Beadsmith, you can go to their group page on facebook and see all the entries that made it to Round 3.

Hot! Hot! Hot! July Bead Journal Project

OK!  I'm way behind!  I know it is already October and I've just finished my Bead Journal Project for July.  There were several reasons for the delay.

The main reason for my taking so long is that I wanted to make a dichroic glass cab that represented the sun.  Seemed like a good idea, but it actually took me over a month.  I'll spare you the gorey details.

After making a "sun" that I thought I could use, I could not figure out how to place it on the backing so I could bead around it.  I ended up breaking off some of the rays and refiring the piece, so that I could place it in the upper left hand corner.  That helped!

Once that was done, it was not difficult to figure out a beading design.  I wanted to show how HOT the month of July was and using all the "hot" colors was a no brainer.  These colors are not my favorite colors - as I'm a "cool color gal" by nature.  But once I gave myself permission to get wild and crazy it finally took shape.

So here is my July Bead Journal Project.   Not my favorite, but it does represent the very hot weather we experienced here in the high desert of Southern California.

You can view the work of other members of the Bead Journal Project by going to these links:
http://beadjournalproject4.blogspot.com/
http://blog2beadjournalproject4-2011.blogspot.com/

You won't be disappointed by all the creativity!  Happy Beading Everyone!

Bead Journal Project - May 2011 - May Gray (with a little bling!)

I don't know what happened, but time got away from me.  Here it is the end of June and I just finished my May Bead Journal Project.   I know one of the reasons I got a late start was because I didn't have any gray dichroic glass (do they even make any?) and I was determined to use the May Gray theme. So I pondered and procrastinated and then I took a vacation and went to the Bead and Button Show in Milwaukee (more about that in another post). It was just a short flight from Milwaukee to South Dakota where my family lives, so I continued my vacation with them for another 10 days. By the time I got back home and resettled into beading, June was almost gone too!

I call this piece "May Gray" because out here in California, the month of May is often full of gray days.   The large dichroic piece has a grayish bluish purplish hue.  I surrounded it with some size 8 Ceylon grey/lilac beads and then added the matte cylinder beads in an outward array.  The layers all use muted colors from gray to pale yellow (with some shiny beads interspersed), hoping to represent the changes throughout the month of May.  I added the dichroic glass hands of a clock in the 5 o'clock position to represent the 5th month.

You can view the Bead Journal Projects of others on these two sites:
http://blog2beadjournalproject4-2011.blogspot.com/
http://beadjournalproject4.blogspot.com/

I Can't Stop Making Them!

My latest bead addiction is making Statement Rings.   I owe this new addition to a wonderful beading artist and friend, Sabine Lippert of Try to Be.  She started making rings a few months ago and is now determined to make 365 rings - one for each day of the year.  You can see all the rings she has made on her blog.  Each ring is unique and simply wonderful!

My granddaughter and daughter saw one of Sabine's rings posted on facebook and my granddaughter said, "I would so rock that ring!"  But no amount of arm twisting or persuading would get Sabine to sell any of her rings.  There was only one solution to that problem - make my own ring and hope that my granddaughter will "rock it" as much as Sabine's.

My first ring was an experiment to see how things would go so I decided to make it for myself - a more subdued ring - not too wild and crazy.

I used one of my own dichroic glass beads (a cabochon with a hole in the middle) which I call my DichroCentrics line.  I've had them around for quite a while and even though I love them, I just wasn't sure how to use them.  Until now, that is!

I made my second ring for my daughter (sort of working up courage to make one for my granddaughter).  They wanted some big "funky" rings and so my journey into "funkiness" began.  I called my daughter's ring Peace, Hope and Love based on the dangles.  I chose those specific dangles because they mean something special to her.  The dove represents peace (and her husband calls her his little dove).  The wing represents hope as in Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."  She calls her husband her Eagle.  The heart represents love.  So it is a special ring with a statement - thus the name "Statement Rings."

Before I could start on my granddaughter's ring, I had to order some special dangles.  While I was waiting, I practiced on another ring and came up with this Ladybug Halloween ring.  It reminds me of a spider - EEK!  This one is for sale in my Etsy shop.

I have now completed the ring for my granddaughter and I'm calling it "Life's a Hoot!"  You'll see why when you see the main dangle.  I sure hope she likes it.

Yes, I am an addict and proud of it!  Happy Beading Everyone!

Bead Journal Project - April Showers Bring Spring Flowers

OK, not a very original title for my April Bead Journal Project, but it just seems so right for this month.  I was able to use three of my "DichroCentric" dichroic glass beads and turn them into Spring flowers.  When I was almost 3/4 of the way finished, I did think of another idea for this month's project that excited me a little bit more than this one, but I was so close to being finished.  I'll just save that idea for another rainy day!

You can view many other beautiful BJP's on these blogs:  http://beadjournalproject4.blogspot.com/ and
http://blog2beadjournalproject4-2011.blogspot.com/. 

Bead Journal Project for March 2011

I had high hopes when I chose my dichroic glass cab to use for the March Bead Journal Project.  It was green and it was quirky.  I was sure I was going to make a Pathway to Spring and show it coming in like a lion and leaving like a lamb.  Now that I've finished it, it looks more like some wild cosmic galaxy swirling in outer space.  Therefore I have named it "I Have No Clue How This Relates to March!"  Whatever --- it is finished on time this month! 

It was a bear to photograph.  The dazzle of the size 15 gold plated rocailles in the green pathway have no "dazzle."  But at least I got a different comment from my husband this month, "That's pretty wild!"  Not sure if that is an improvement over "that's different" or not. :}  Hmmmmm - maybe I could call it 'March Madness.'

If you are interested in seeing more Bead Journal Projects by other artists, check out these blogs:

http://blog2beadjournalproject4-2011.blogspot.com/

http://beadjournalproject4.blogspot.com/

February Bead Journal Project

My new motto:  Better Late Than Never!  For my 2011 Bead Journal Project, I am creating 3"x3" bead embroidered art pieces around my dichroic glass cabochons for each month of the year.  I just finished my February BJP piece (only 10 days late).

For February, I wanted to make a dichroic glass heart to bead around and I was quite pleased with how it turned out.  For some reason, abstract swirls came to my mind, so using the pinks, reds, golds and purples in the glass, I came up with this design.

It will be interesting to see how all these different "bead paintings" look together at the end of the year.  I'm sure I will hear my husband's most used comment when he views my bead work, "That's different."  But that's OK because I'm having such fun with these!

 

Bead Journal Project - January 2011

I'm only one day late in finishing my very first Bead Journal Project!  Yay!  I thought I was being so smart to limit my size to 3x3".  Believe me, that is huge when it comes to doing bead embroidery.  Next year, I will think even smaller! 

I am hoping to put all of my monthly projects together into an art picture, so I am leaving the edges unfinished until I know how I'm going to put them all together.  I will be using one of my own dichroic glass cabochons for each month of the year. This cab has always reminded me of a winter blizzard, so I thought it was appropriate for January. You can see just a bit of the trees, buildings and ground through the swirling snow.

This was very difficult to photograph, so it looks a bit blue in this picture.  All of the beads (except for the green ones) are crystal, silver or white and many have an AB finish.

I'm very happy with my first Bead Journal Project and excited that I finished my January project before leaving for the Tucson bead shows tomorrow. 

Beautiful Artists and Their Works of Art - Part 1

This post has been on my list of "to do's" far too long.  I confess I have been procrastinating and I'm not sure why - especially confusing because the subject matter is so dear to me.

It is so rewarding for me when someone uses something I've created to create something even more creative and beautiful.  This series of posts will feature those artists who have purchased one (or more) of my dichroic glass cabochons and turned them into works of art.  My deepest gratitude to each of you.

The first artist I want to thank is Anita Martinez whose Etsy shop name is Turiana07.  She purchased one of my dichroic glass cabochons and turned it into this masterpiece she called "Celestial Wings."

It all started with one of my dichroic glass cabs I called "Scuba Diving Twin B."

There are many other beautiful works of art in her Etsy shop like this necklace she calls "Aztec Princess."

Be sure to stop by and let her know how beautiful her work is.  Thank you Anita!

Sabine Lippert - Bead Magician Extraordinaire

Today a friend posted a link of her work on my facebook page and I was so honored. She used one of my dichroic glass cabochons and created a fantastic necklace using her magical beading powers! I'm talking about Sabine Lippert from Germany.

Here's the original dichroic glass cab.


And here is Sabine's necklace after she did some serious beading magic. Isn't it beautiful?!


Check out her blog to see more of Sabine's beautiful work http://try-to-be-better.blogspot.com/. If you are interested in seeing more of my dichroic glass cabochons, you can see them in my Etsy shop.

Some Beauties Created in Germany

Where have I been and what have I been doing? Amazingly, I haven't been anywhere outside my four walls, but I have been busy.

To start with, I've been caught up with making dichroic glass cabochons. I just can't get enough of them. And while I'd like to do beadwork around each and every one of them, I only have 2 arms and there are just not enough hours in the day. So I started selling them in my Etsy shop.

Here are the first two cabochons that were purchased by Sabine Lippert from Germany.



I just love what she did with them. Her beadwork is always unique and I think she really shows off the cabs wonderfully!



You can see more of her work on her blog, Try-To-Be-Better or on her website, Try-To-Be. She also just opened an Etsy shop, Try-To-Be-Unique, where she sells her patterns. I am going to be one of her customers for sure!

Stay tuned for more dichroic cab updates and some information on the process of making them.

Walking in the Woods Treasury

My boulder opal bracelet was included in this lovely treasury created by Smadar's Treasure on Etsy.


If you feel like shopping for some beautiful beadwoven items, check out her shop. Here's one of my favorites (it was truly hard to pick just one!).


I met Smadar through the Etsy Beadweaving (EBW) Team Group on Etsy and she has truly been an inspiration to me.

Thanks For Your Votes!

Oodles and oodles of thanks to everyone who voted for my necklace in the Abeadstore.com Beaded Impressions contest. My entry came in 2nd place and I won a $50 gift certificate! Here's my necklace but you can view all the winners here.

I'm sure you won't be able to figure out what I'm going to buy with my $50 gift certificate! Happy shopping tomorrow!

Etsy Beadweavers "Time Machine" Challenge

I just finished my entry into the Etsy Beadweavers Team Challenge called "Time Machine." I've been wanting to make one of these cuffs for a long, long time. This is only the 2nd bead embroidered piece I've made and my very first cuff.




















First, I had to cut a piece of Lacey's Stiff Stuff to fit a 1 1/2" wide brass cuff. I had a set of three dichroic glass cabochons in colors that I love and glued them to the stiff stuff. Then I began sewing the beads around the cabs and filling in all the empty spaces. I glued black Ultrasuede to the back of the brass cuff and after the beadwork was finished, I glued it to the top. Then I connected the two together with more beads. It took several weeks to complete.

I had a lot of fun making it - sort of a "design as you go" experience. I'm always amazed how much joy beadweaving brings to my life. If you are not a beadweaver, I seriously suggest you give it a try. Happy beading to all!