A New Bracelet - Caterpiller or Fringe Style #1

After purchasing the pattern from Darcy Horne, I then purchased a kit to make the bracelet. I received the beads one day and was wearing the bracelet the next. Here it is:



Unfortunately it didn't photograph as pretty as it really is.

Contemplating

I've been thinking for a while about building some online quilting classes. I think I'm going to start with one and see how it works out. I'll be creating it and then putting it on my Etsy site for sale. So, I've been thinking about quilting, not beading and still haven't done much since the craft fair. Unless you count the pair of earrings I made today and the bracelet I made yesterday. I have not been doing the nose to the grindstone thing. That's for sure.

I puttered a bit yesterday at a first attempt at ATC's (Artist Trading Cards). I have a series of six on the go and five of them I'm happy with so far; one not so much. I'm torn between starting a new #6 and just leaving it at a series of five. Talk about high stress, huh?

The sun is shining. The clouds are hanging on the mountain tops on the horizon and the ocean is calm though there is a slight breeze. The temperature is 40 F. It's a beautiful day and the light is fading fast. See for yourself!

How's this for a view?






You can click on the image for a larger version. When it clears over the weekend, I'm going to have to get a photo of the mountains topped in snow.

Taking a time out...

This is the second day since the craft fair and I'm still in 'relax and recuperate' mode. I was completely exhausted when I got home from the craft fair and had no interest or energy to do anything creative the following day. I'm giving myself a period of time to rest but I'm also looking forward to 'what comes next'.

I've been surfing around the internet looking at the work of bead artists and finding much inspiration. I'm so new to this and I'm finding so many different directions that I feel a pull toward. Cabochons. I found a wonderful book that is an excellent 'how to' for cabochons and it's filled with photos to give ideas and inspiration. Beading with Cabochons: Simple Techniques for Beautiful Jewelry by Jamie Cloud Eakin. The book can be found on Amazon.

Another one that I'm in love with is Beaded Embellishment: Techniques & Designs for Embroidering on Cloth (Beadwork How-To series) by Amy C. Clarke and Robin Atkins. Also found on Amazon. This book has excellent detail and photos to help a real beginner...like me.

I've purchased the package for a bead challenge. If you are interested, you can see it (and buy it) here: Winter Bead Challenge. The beads intrigued me and I can hardly wait for them to arrive.

I also purchased a kit of beads to complete a pattern that is new to me. See and buy the kit and pattern here: Fringe Bracelet Kit

A Little Bit of Beading

These earrings were made a few days ago in preparation for the craft fair. They didn't do as well as I thought they might. My plan is to put them into my online store...wmarlaine.etsy.com and see how they do there. All three are so dainty and feminine looking.



Agate stones with sterling silver findings.


Agate stones and fresh water pearls with sterling silver findings.


Glass beads with sterling silver findings.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Totally focused on getting ready for a Craft Show. Back to blogging next week!

I've been shopping

And here is a peek at my booty!




10 organza bags to wrap things I sell at the craft fair December 1, a sheet of copper, 5 copper tags and wire to hook them on, some felt to use as backgrounds in photos, two hanks of seed beads, some cobalt blue beads for a bracelet, some bugle beads and some miniature scrabble squares. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the copper or the scrabble squares or the bugle beads but I am certain that I don't yet have enough crafting stuff!

A Cool Website

I found this artists work on Etsy and followed a link to her website. These little beaded art pins are gorgeous!

Art Quilt Pins

Sterling Silver Wire Bracelet

This bracelet has amethyst chips and crystals dangling from it. It also has Bali silver bead caps and elegant little mauve flower beads.

More Beaded Bags

This blue bag was difficult to photograph well to show the true colours. The bag is a light denim colour and the beads are irridescent and called iris olive.


This white/gold beaded bag has some lovely lampwork beads embellishing it.


I love this little bag. The bead colour is called rootbeer and it's embellished with crystals. The second photo shows the colour better.

I've been working

Just a quick photo to show that I have in fact been working. Can you see the little beaded fairy that I'm experimenting with?

Not Bead Related

It's been a crazy day. The power went out last night around midnight and didn't come back on until about 6:30 tonight. It was a stress filled day as no power means no coffee, no computer, no telephone, no tv, no hot water, and worst of all...no heat!

The good news today is that my hockey team (okay, not MY team but the team I follow and love) won their game tonight 6-2. Power came back in time for me to get to watch the game. Life is good.

I've been busy working away at beady things but haven't gotten around to any photos. Tomorrow. For sure.

Rainy Wednesday...

I'm away from home all of this week so not up to much as far as beading goes. Though I did do a little shopping for beads on Monday and I plan on doing a little more later this week. I also phoned in an order for more silver wire so I can do more wirework when I get home.

Great New Book

A couple of days ago, I got a new book in the mail and I'm absolutely thrilled with it! It's called Rubber Stamped Jewelry. The book is everything I expected and more. You can see it here: Visit Rubber Stamped Jewelry, where you can even get a peek inside the book.

The section it had on wirework jewelry inspired me and I spent the afternoon making earrings.





The two pairs on the outside in this photo are among my favourites with the bent wire.



This pair with the blue beads was my first attempt at working the wire for earrings.

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.