Monday, March 30, 2009

Second One Done


 
Finished up the second Czech Art Glass button project tonight. I was quite pleased with the result as it was something totally different for me. I don't make a lot of beadwoven bracelets and when I do, they are normally of the narrower variety than this cuff. I've also never tried placing beadwork on top of other beadwork in a cabochon style and lastly, I've never tried anything like the little "cut-out" windows in the peyote stitching. This was another design-as-I-stitch creation so it was gratifying to have it turn out as well as it did.
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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button









A little over a month ago, one of my fellow beadweavers from Etsy, Dayna of
daynamiles , shared with the group her wonderful creations using Czech art glass buttons. I was so taken in by the exquisite designs, I just had to have some of those gorgeous buttons for myself. I wound up purchasing four of the little beauties from crazycakes. So far I have finished a pendant necklace and listed it on Etsy and have a bracelet in progress. These are so much fun to design around, I'm sure when all four are made up, I'll be back for more!!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

April Challenge Entry Listed!




I wasn't sure I was going to get this challenge entry completed in time but I finished it this morning and just now listed it to Etsy. Whew!! When I first read the description for the April Challenge, "Time Machine", my mind was spinning with possibilities. Do I try something Steampunk as some of the others had mentioned? Do I go with futuristic or something looking back in time? Finally, being the avid reader of fantasy science fiction that I am, I settled on creating something that would fit into the storyline of a fantasy sci fi novel.




One of my favorite fantasy series was by Diana Gabaldon about a 20th century woman transported back in time to the 18th century through a circle of standing stones in Scotland. So how cool would it be if one could transport through time simply by donning a piece of jewelry and gazing in a mirror?!




While the stones and beads I chose to work with came from my stash, I did do some shallow research into the meaning of the stones to see how well they fit the notion that this was a magical time travel necklace. It all actually worked out quite well. The jade teardrop center stone stands for clarity and courage, both attributes useful to the time traveler. A touch of amethyst for intuition which could definitely be handy in a strange land or time; lepidolite for acceptance and calm, aiding in transition; and hematite for protection and grounding, all things that would benefit the time traveler. Of course, the magic that actually makes the necklace work comes from the stitches and weaving (and the imagination of the wearer)!

Friday, March 6, 2009

Bluebells and Butterflies

Not too long ago I listed a necklace in my Etsy shop that I called Lavendar Garden. I had so much fun making it that I decided to do a similar one in different colors. Guess it's my spring fever, but I seem to be stuck on green right now. I had gotten some lovely soft green mother of pearl leaf beads recently and of course they jumped right out at me from my work desk. Right beside them were some silver butterfly charms, another recent purchase, and they found their way into my bead tray too. Now, what to go with the green? As I searched thru my stash of seed beads looking for the leaf green, my eye landed on a soft translucent blue and I remembered the little Czech glass flower beads I had in the same shade. Perfect! The finished piece makes me think of walking through a meadow on a warm sunny day when the wildflowers have started blooming and the butterflies are dancing on the breezes.
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