More of this and that

This is what happens when you get beads that just scream to be used in herringbone, but you want to embellish afterward! Swar 4mm gold glass pearls, purple velvet Swar bicones, Czech reproduction button. Gifted to Bebee G of NC/FL!

Playing around with teaching myself RAW 3D, using el cheapo Chinese bicones, came up with this lovely cross, which will be part of a Christmas gift to a close friend. See, you CAN make something nice with those bicones- $1 for a 16 inch strand!

Riza C, a fairly new beader (since April 2010!!!) did the top two using the Alhambra pattern by Sabine Lippert. I like how she used the semi-precious Chinese Turquoise, Turquoise R/S, Indian Jasper and Autumn Jasper in hers.

The top of the three is Jan Wasser's Diamondback pattern, done with Indian Red and Indian Pink Swar bicones, the other two are Alhambra variations, original pattern by Sabine Lippert. I wish the 3.4mm fringe drops on the black and silver (Miyuki) didn't lose their silver coating, or that I had used the FP version, but I still like it. The charlottes are Tierra Cast, and they are holding up beautifully, though now that we are using our gas logs for heat, have to keep all the silver that I cannot put into the tumbler to clean in ziploc bags, because they tarnish from the sulphur in the propane. The stones in the black and silver are black tourmaline (the 8mm), smoky quartz R (6mm faceted) and black agate D (4mm). The lighter bracelet uses the glass pearls from FMG- not Swars, but they are holding up nicely. Both of these use the C clasps from Claspgarten, and I highly recommend them as easy to put on, yet do not come apart during wear.

Happy Moon, indeed! Face by Solly Creations, Kato clay with alcohol ink, embellished herringbone base. Gifted to Riza C of Bryson City!

What have YOU been up to?

Ask, and I shall do my very best

DH Kurt wished he had the old knife pouch, a tattered nylon and velcro affair, that he used to carry pens and attached to his waist.

I had already rigged an eyeglass case and a leather ID to attach to his belt, so thought 'what the heck, I can prolly do this, too'.

Here are the results.

Soft leather from sofa samples, cut and stitched with fireline, then brick picot edged, and a wonderful greenstone cab to accent the front.

Boy, am I ever glad he teaches at a school where beadwork is prized, and many of the guys, as well as women, wear beaded objects.

He loves it, it works, and folks are intrigued by the cabwork, something the Cherokee are pretty new to.

Ta-dah!

I'm Ba-ack! Check out Beadwright goodies!

With our first grandbaby about to be born ( any time now!), getting my little Sweetie car back after a 3 month+ hunt for a part no longer made (but found by our most excellent mechanic, Rich), and a beady friend from FL visiting town ( and wanting to play!), I haven't gotten to my blog.

However, two really great reasons to get on today and show you pretties arrived in our mailbox; beads and bits from two really wonderful suppliers- Nicole Campanella ( http://beadwright.blogspot.com/ ), and you can link right to her artfire and etsy sites via her blog. Many of you may have been following the events with her brother, and his and his family's love for each other shines like the beacon we could all use in our lives! Still, Nicole got back home, found an order waiting from me, emailed me to say it would go out soon as the holiday mail would allow, and here it is today- the flat Egyptian cabs are wonderfully detailed, and the swirls of green in the turquoise glass just beg me to get out my bead emboidery bits and use them in a collar Nefretiti would be proud of! The 'tiny beads' are just that- really, REALLY tiny bugles- way cool, and in a color I will have lots of use for. The colored squares of backing are stiffer than I am used to, so am looking forward to giving them a try, and the colors are varied enough and dark enough that I don't have to even think about taking colored pencils to them before adding beads. Nicole also thoughtfully added three charms, again, in an Egyptian theme; dragonfly, beetle and hawk!

You rock, Nicole!

Now, everyone go shopping while I get the next post ready...and remember you can click on any pic to make it full-size.

3 More Cabochons

These are the three cabochons that were sent to be swapped, for the Beaddreamz group.

Lucky me will get three cabs done by other beaders in our group in return! Click on any pic

to make it larger!

Egyptian Cab 2

Both my DMIL and myself have been fascinated with all things Egyptian, but especially anything resembling the jewelry of old. I have tried to recreate this with an earring, bought at a recent bead retreat, and set up to be beaded as a cabochon. To me, the pattern was reminiscent of a scarab, ram's horns, and lightning- and of course, the gold was always used by Egyptian royalty.

The blue matte beads are much more lapis in real life, and don't photograph true, but the sapphire and ruby colored beads are better. The triangles around the edge have a malachite-azurite tinge, and of course, the gold beads are, well, gold! All elements beloved in jewelry by the ancient Ones....I hope you enjoy, and are inspired.

Remember to click on the pic to see the largest view.

Dreamtime Lightning

The focal on this piece was found as a bit of rock in the desert surrounding Ayer's Rock, a sacred place for the Australian Native folk we call aboriginine. A friend picked it up, brought it back, and when polishing it, found these lightning streaks of opal running throughout the face. None of it had showed when he picked up what looked like a brown rock, but he felt that he just had to have it.

Back in the USA, I was visiting their gem and rock shop, getting to know them to the point where I was the person selected to watch over their shop while they went on vacation or to a show for the weekend. This stone called to me over and over, and I would take it out and hold it when there were no customers.

My friends gifted me with the rock, in exchange for the gift of my time.

Opal is supposed to be 'bad luck' if you are not born in October, or if it is not a gift. As I am a February baby, it is most fortunate that it was a gift to me, and I have treasured it as such.

For years, I didn't know what to do with it, except keep it with my other crystals and such. Thanks to Harry (Sharon Solly), I learned to use the TTT- Terrifically Tacky Tape- to cab around it, letting light shine through the opal bits from the back, and turn it into this happy piece!

The rope is Kumibeado (yes, there is another tut with better pics and easier-to-see bead colors, done in pdf format, in the works) and was finished over a 4 hour period, while listening to Dave Barry's 'Talks Back', ready by Artey Johnson on CD. Cackling madly from time to time, was I!

I wanted a more organic-looking end than either just a bead cap, or a peyote beaded end with traditional toggle shape would have given, so just went with beading over the end tightly enough to hold the peyote on (with a few stitches back and forth through the kumi for good measure), then adding a loop at one end, closing tightly at the other. It stays quite nicely, and but is easy to remove. Doubleclick on the pic to see it up close and personal.

Kumibeado- gotta love it!

Now I have to figure out a stringing for the Cellini look.....