Beading Babes Reveal

Reveal Day for Beading Babes 10 is here and my little beady fingers completed all five projects; so much fun and I must say I learned a thing or two along the way. I did take creative license and made a small change to one of the pieces and I like the results. Thank you Karyn for being the master mind behind this really fun event, can't wait for 11!

Super Spiral Set by Michelle McEnroe 

I love this pattern and after making the bracelet and earrings in shades of purple and deep green wanted to make more. This is where the idea to incorporate one design into two hops came into play. There was an awesome sparkly gold, deep green and bright blue glass tear drop focal in my soup that lent itself perfectly to this design. I think a bracelet in these colors is called for as well.......must get on that!

Primrose Path Bracelet by Jennifer & Susan Schwartzenberger

 

I must have been in the mood for purple this go around, but oh I do love the richness of the color. Super cute bracelet.

Timeless Lace Collar by Svetlana Chernitsky

This is the one I took a bit of a creative license on, because to me it just didn’t seem finished with the opening – I know it’s supposed to look  like a collar but I personally just needed to close it. I ordered the most awesome twin hole beads in a bright penny copper color and they were just begging to be used. Love my necklace.

Fanciful Flowercup Braid by Kerrie Slade

I love kumihimo and this project reintroduced me to this process. I couldn’t find the flower cup beads used in the pattern and the ones I substituted made for a very thick rope, still gorgeous.

 

Dewdrops Pendant by Leslee Frumin 

On this one I went back to my favorite color combination turquoise and silver. Super cute design and  I loved working with the tear drop pearls and crystals. 

 

Keep on trying..

I love peyote stitch and some of the patterns I have seen on line are so gorgeous, they beg to be tried, and tried and tried. It took me the longest time to wrap my head around odd count peyote but perseverance paid off and I now have it mastered....yeah me!  That being said I am still trying to master reading a pattern. Written patterns no problem but visual...yikes the amount of times I take it out, I could have two or three bracelets completed.  Never one to be beaten (except when it comes to skiing) I shall keep trying until I master it.

This is one of my first attempts and after I lost track of the pattern for the umpteenth time I just gave in and went with it. My daughter Meg saw it and loved it and yes now it is hers. She is one of my biggest fans and really likes wearing my creations.

California Dreaming

If this is April, it must be spring?

You would think being mid April and Easter upon us that it would be spring.....right? Well apparently not quite!! We had a spring snow storm covering everything in a blanket of white....I must be crazy but it was really quite pretty. Pretty but thank goodness melting rapidly.

I have been very busy taking some photography courses and just loving them. I have learned so much and now have the thirst for more.  My latest class was pet photography and what fun. A real challenge getting the pooches to pose but what an enjoyable way to spend a weekend.

Jasper the Labradoodle

Pandora and yes Pandora was in a box

Pandora

Topper

Topper

Not only have I been busy shooting photos, I have been busy beading. I have had a bit of trouble sleeping lately but when all is quiet and everyone is in bed .... I just let my creative juices flow. I have completed my projects for Beading Babes and now I am just waiting to post (May 4th ). One of the projects was a kumihimo piece which renewed my curiosity to look into this more. By chance our local beading store (Crimpz) was offering a class and although I didn't take the class I did go home and create a similar set. I just love the rhythmic pace of kumihimo and had a great time creating this necklace and bracelet and bracelet....we know there will be more! I have also finished my piece(s) for the BSBP (May 3)...oh I just am so excited to show what I have created.....I am really quite pleased with what I have made!

Kumihimo necklace and bracelet

Kumihimo bracelet with long magatamas

As everyone knows, Pinterest is a curse and a blessing all in one. It is so addicting and so many ideas are brought to mind. Two that I immediately set to work on were loom beading (I did this when I was a 60s love child) and a RAW bangle bracelet by Marcia DeCoster. I like the look of loom beading but not sure I have the patience for threading the loom.

Loom Bracelet

The RAW bangle pattern by Marcia looked like something I would really like and although I am not a big bangle person I thought I would give it a try and tweak it a little.  I made it a little shorter and added a magnetic clasp. I also put my own twist on the embellishment.   I love the look and feel of this bracelet so much that I am going to work on a bangle next, there is always a first time.

My take on Marcia DeCoster's RAW bangle

 

Counting down the days to both Beading Babes and BSBP reveals!