Gig's Love

Form by Sherry Grove of VA. Round Robin at Beaded Art Dolls

Yahoogroup.

North Wind Pin

It's both fun and a challenge to work in a single palette...I am happy with how he came out!

Fyre, companion to Pele, Goddess of Volcanos

Many of the beads that were put on her during the round robin were falling off, due to thread that was literally rotting. It looks like regular cotton thread, and I think the beads that were used had sharp edges, and cut through it til the thread gave out.

So, off with the old, on with the new.

Her fabric patterning cried 'Fire' to me when I made her, so am working with that patterning to showcase the different aspects of fire, some helpful, some harmful, but all just fire in its many glories and colors.

I hope you enjoy watching her 'grow'.

OK, I can't stand it anymore LOL!

We have a Beaders Retreat in Tennessee, at a friend's home on the lake near White Pine. As I absolutely love bead embroidery, I thought it might be fun to find a way to teach this to newbies. Folks seem to like my beaded, stuffed dolls, but those can be intimidating, even in a 5 inch form. Less than that in size, and you have to work to get in detail, if you are the type to get stuck on making things look 'real'.

So, came up with a simple fish pattern, stuffed and flat (the flat is fabric, attached to Pellon 70) with a basic line pattern drawn on that can give ideas as to what stitch might work there. Of course, I would encourage them all to 'color outside the lines' and put whatever stitch THEY feel they want in that area.

All the fish are stuffed, the flats are connected, so onto the designs.

Of course, I had to do examples for them to fondle, as that is what fires us up-being able to hold a finished product and imagine ourselves doing it.

Here are some photos of the fish for the class, and the examples. I am still working on the second half of the 2 piece cuff, and will work diligently so that I will not only have it to wear, but can post a photo of it later.

Click on any photo to make it full-size.

I WAS going to wait til I had them all done, BUT just couldn't wait any longer!

Enjoy!!

A wonderful learning experience..

I went with a silversmith friend, Harleen Powers, to the Summer Solstice show in Greensboro, NC. We shared a booth, and while we both sold only one item apiece, the value of me finding out how much folks enjoyed my beaded art dolls was worth all the travel time, money and heat exhaustion! People actually came to the booth after being told by their friends that they needed to come see, and several gallery owners were interested in me bringing the dolls to their galleries.

Of course, it goes without saying that Harleen's silver, gold, copper and bronze creations were much drooled over, but the crowd, which happened to spend an awful lot on tattoos (from what we observed) just didn't have it in them to purchase one of a kind, real jewelry.

That's OK, there's always another show, and Harleen has her own gallery owners to satisy with new pieces before Fall.

But this whole thing got me re-inspired to finish Celebrate the Dance- a doll in honor of the Mardi Gras and Carnivale style celebrations world-wide, held under the same sun and same moon we all enjoy....I hope you like her as much as I do!

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.

Oops! She's a Puzzle

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I can't believe I never posted pics of the finished Mask, from The Beadin' Path's challenge of 08!I guess Kurt's mom getting sick, then finding out she had cancer, the MRSA from installing the port for chemo, etc, just derailed me. I had my nose to various grindstones, and it just slipped by. Here are some pics to enjoy. I do not regret any moment spent beading it.

Beaded Button- Northern Lights

This is for a really sweet friend in Michigan, who is bravely considering

going into bead embroidery to recreate the Northern Lights. This button

is one inch across, and the beads used are 14o seed beads (the round ones)

and 14o hex beads(the longer ones). The black part is meant to be a mountain.

Hope you like it, Judy!! Click to full size the pic.

Mysterious Mystique

She belongs to a friend of mine, who lives in VA. In an round robin

on a group I no longer belong to, she 'disappeared', or at least the

person who had received her (thanks to tracking, we knew THAT,

at least) would not return phone calls, emails,nor letters.

Surprisingly, after 3 years, Mystique showed up in a box with her

journal, and a note saying the person had found her and was

returning her! Hooray!

I asked to bead on her, and after her mom and I conferred, realized

the navy blue, white, and christmas green beads did not belong on

her branches...which the person who beaded her thought were arms.

Oh well, off the beads came, as well as the flower beads that were

scattered all over her form. You can see the beads in the bottom shot.

The flowers went to the great multi-colored flower field at the base,

on her back, filling that in nicely. The crystals are being reserved to

go in a dropped swirl by the pink curls at the side of her mask, when

the other bits are finished- nothing like swarovski bicones being pushed

back and forth while the rest is being worked on, to cut their threads!

I have pretty much filled in her face, and now have a sock on it while I

get to her branches....she is going home to Sherry on Thurs, and I want

her to be a good surprise!

MerQueen's Hand

She loves all things from the Seas, collecting the bits and baubles she finds in her travels, and adding them to her bejeweled self...

10"H X 6"W X 1.5" D, not including fringe.

Petroglyph Frog

He wanted to be symbolic of all frogs have been to mankind,

both icon and warning, with his symbols and colors.

He hopes mankind will not totally destroy the environment

for amphibians, and ultimately, mammals, in their greed

and shortsightedness.

dolls since march 09

these are the few dolls i have been able to do since march.....more to come