Two more done...

Have I mentioned that I'm preparing for a Christmas craft sale? So, my efforts lately have been a bit focused and I'm not doing as much creative playing as I'd like to, however I did squeeze in some work with silver wire and I have some ideas fermenting. I'm really happy with the black bag but the turquoise is not one of my favourites. Hopefully someone will love it and want to give it a good home.

Green Butterfly Beaded Bag

Another beaded bag completed today! Small glass butterfly bead on the front and several other green beads used as embellishments.

Mauve Rainbow Beaded Bag

This little knit bag is done with mauve rainbow beads and embellished with mauve and gold flower beads and silver leaves.

Butterfly Beaded Bag

I finished another knit beaded bag today. The second photo does a better job of showing the colours of the seed beads. The flap has a small butterfly charm.

Hummingbird Beaded Bag

I finished a knit beaded bag today. The beads dangling from it are Swarovski crystal and I also used some Bali silver spacers and hummingbird.





SOLD November 21/07

Wirework Bracelet

I've been working with some silver plate wire to make a bracelet. It came out well enough but I won't be using plated wire again. I did learn a lot from using it and I feel better prepared to work with the sterling silver wire I've purchased. I made all of the links and charms for this bracelet.

SOLD - December 2008

Freestyle Beaded Pendant

SOLD - December 2007



My inspiration for this piece was the coppery yarn I used. I was fooling around with it twisting a length of it in my fingers and then placing it on the navy hand dyed fabric background. This is one of my favourite colour combinations and is a traditional old French combination: brown and blue...in this case copper and navy. When I had the yarn formed in a way that pleased my eye, I selected a palette of seed and bugle beads to use to anchor it to the fabric and just let intuition guide me. In other words, allowing the artiste in me free reign.

The piece had been simmering In my studio for a few weeks while I puzzled over how to finish it. Finally, last evening, I was finally inspired and completed it. The seed bead picot edging was something new I tried and I'm very happy with the result. The necklace portion includes the seed and bugle beads as well as some larger glass beads.

Mountains on the Mainland

I'd forgotten that I had this piece finished until I photographed another that I just finished last night. It's a miniature piece of art, created using hand dyed cotton fabric and a variety of seed beads, bugle beads and chips of semi precious stones. It was completed entirely by hand.

My inspiration for this beaded pendant (which is just the right size to hold a credit card) was the view from my livingroom window. I overlook ocean and outlying islands to the east as well as the mountains on the mainland. The colours of the mountains change constantly as well as the highlights and shadows, depending on the quality of light. How fortunate I am to have the palette of the universe to inspire me!

On Being An Artiste

I think one of the things that holds me back artistically is the idea I grew up with that "artists starve" and what an artist does isn't really "useful to society". So there has been a little voice in my head telling me that I needed to limit myself to doing something "useful" so that I wouldn't starve.

I have been working through this idea and as awareness is the first step, I'm on my journey to allowing my inner artist to live and flourish and produce art.

To quiet the voice I hear telling me that I'm not "good enough" to be an artist, I often tell myself that I'm an "artiste" or an "artisan". Today I encountered the following quote which I need to turn into a poster for in my studio.

"Every artist was first an amateur."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bead Show Bracelet

There was a bead show held locally and when I discovered it, I signed up for a class. I really enjoyed myself and I'm thrilled with the result. It was a great class and not only did I learn to manipulate wire, it gave me the confidence to go on from here on my own. To prepare for this, I visited a few bead shops around town, gathering supplies and tools. I'm heading home tomorrow and I can hardly wait to get to work with my little hammer and pliers.

More Beaded Buttons

I just can't resist beading these buttons. So, I've made a few more....








Sold December 1/07

Beaded Bracelet Beginnings

I realize that these bracelets represent the simplest form of beading bracelets. They are basically just strung beads. The only real creativity involves my choices of beads and their sequence. Still, they were fun to make and I like the way they look.


SOLD November 21/07
It was really difficult to photograph this one with the colour accurate. I especially like the dragonfly beads in it.


Sold December 1/07
This bracelet has three twisted triangle beads that just can't be accurately photographed.


Can you see the silver circle with a bead in the center of it. The clear glass beads have turquoise foil in them.


Sold December 1/07
This bracelet includes some gorgeous iridescent black beads.

First Steps

While visiting a friend I was browsing through her collection of magazines and came across an article on beaded buttons by someone who had taken a class with Robin Atkins. We decided to try our hands at it and this was my first attempt at beading a button.