My Project Is Done!!! :D

What does this little daisy clip art have to do with my newest project?  Not much, except maybe that I felt like my latest project really "blossomed".  And, hey, I think it's cute.

Ok, on to my project.  I felt so good making this necklace.  That's what I find so gratifying about beading.  I get to be creative, and it makes me feel good.  It's great therapy.  This piece really flowed for me.  I didn't have to think about it...it just came together.  No forcing it, no second guessing it.  You ever have a great project like that?  I hope to have many more because it was so utterly enjoyable.

The centerpiece is a cab by Beth Evans of Bellesanbeaus on Artfire.  She does amazing work.  It turns out this cab was a little bit of a mistake.  I had asked for shades of blue, but she mistakenly sent me shades of green.  And it's a good thing she intuitively knew exactly what I needed better than I know for myself because the green cab is PERFECT!!!  I also used Nicole Campanella's wonderful-to-work-with Beadbacking.  It's so easy to work with when doing bead embroidery.  You don't have to worry about backing your fabric with lacy's or anything else.  You just bead right on it, you can cut around it in the shape you need, and it won't fray or stretch.  And it's acid free.  PERFECT as well!  You can get Nicole's Beadbacking from her Etsy shop, Beadwright.

Another awesome thing is that I used everything from my stash.  The only thing I bought for this project was the clasp.  The little green cabs Beth gifted me.  That was so nice of her!  Again, she intuitively knew what I needed.  I also mixed in some orange, which is not a color I normally work with.  I find it a very difficult color and orange and I don't play well together.  But this week we called a truce, and look how the orange just shines with the green.  I love the orange lucite flowers that rest near the collar bones.  (They're a little higher on my "model" because he's only 11 and a little smaller than a person it was actually meant to be sized for.)  But Matthew was a good sport and jumped right up when I asked him to model for me.  He's kind of funny because he's in his underwear only and he was real paranoid that I didn't show his boobies in the pics. hahaha.  Kids are fun.

I've never made a necklace where I did bead embroidery and had to put the pieces together.  I wasn't sure how to do that.  Then I remembered the wise words from Robin Atkins, the bead embroidery goddess..."Just do it!"  I don't know how other people do it, but my way seemed to work!  Yea!

Enough, enough already!  I know...let's get on with it!  Ok everyone.  Here are the pics.  I realize that this probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for me it's just stunning.  And I guess that's what counts.  Matthew doesn't want me to try to sell it, but he reluctantly said I could lol.  Someday it will find the perfect home.

I originally was going to call it Lush Green, but I just had the idea of Greenman in Springtime.  I've always loved the Greenman, so maybe it's fitting that I make a tribute to him.

Greenman in Springtime

Normally I take my photos in the daytime in a nice shady area to get the beautiful natural light, but I was too anxious to wait until tomorrow to show it off.  I also learned how to do a spiral rope for this necklace.  I was pretty happy with it.  It took the 3rd try to get the color combination I was happy with, and I'm pleased with the way it turned out.  You can click on the photos to see a larger view.  Isn't that face cab fabuloso!?! Comments anyone?

3 - 2 - 1 Blast Off!!!

I am very excited to bring you this news.  My very good friend Beth over at Bellesanbeaus Crafts is an enormously talented woman.  I look at her work and wonder how she can do what she does.  She has many talents, but the one I want to tell you about today is her creation of face cabochons.  No two are identical.  The painting and details are wonderful.  They are so unique and interesting, I just love them.  I have to admit that I don't particularly care for face cabs.  I think they're weird.  Maybe even creepy.  But THESE face cabs are so phenomenal that I knew I had to own some.  You want to know the really good news?  Now you can too!!!

Beth has launched her first online store over at Bellesanbeaus Crafts on Artfire!  I think they are a complete steal, too.  You will not find artwork of this nature and caliber anywhere for this price.  I'm not kidding.  Just go to her Artfire shop and see for yourself.  Each one is molded and hand-painted, and you can even tell her your unique specifications so she can create one (or lots!) especially for you.  She even has created one with glitzy glitter, which is a lot of fun.  She will also be opening an Etsy shop, but it isn't done quite yet.

I thought I would include here pics of some that I own and also some pics of ones currently for sale.  Take a look at these beautiful painted ladies!

She calls them Mardi Gras, but I call them Masquerades.  I love the mask and the swirly curly q's.  The eyes themselves have great detail.

The next one she based on the concept of the Greenman.  I love it!!!

The Moon Face is unique and has double dimension to it.

Here are some more recent ones in the past couple weeks...

This last one is the one that has the glitter and sparkle in the paint.  Cool, huh?  So please won't you go visit Beth's new Artfire shop?  These cabs are really awesome with bead embroidery around them.  I'm positive you will be more than happy with what you receive!!!

Please Visit

Solar Flare, Wall Art by Jan

I just wanted everyone to know that there are a couple new shops in town!  First of all, I want to tell you about my good friend, Jan, over at Laughing Dog Arts on Etsy.  Her shop is newly re-opened, and I really encourage you to go take a look at the vibrant, colorful works of art she has to offer.  Jan does amazing things with fibers and beads.  Please go take a look, and keep checking back because I'm sure she'll be adding more wonderful pieces.  This is just one example.  Look at those colors, shapes and textures!  She also has a blog that I'm sure you will want to see, also Laughing Dog Arts, right here on blogspot. 

Next up is a teaser.  You know how I'm always talking about the fantabulous work done by my super friend Beth over at Bellesanbeaus Crafts?  Well, guess what!!!  She is finally going to be opening an Etsy shop!  I'm so excited about that!  I don't have the URL yet, but you can be sure that as soon as I have it, you will get it!  Isn't the banner for her Etsy shop really cute?  lol...I can say that because I made it for her.  :)

I opened an Artfire shop!  I actually opened an account months ago, but I just started putting things in it.  If you've visited my Etsy shop, thank you very much!  But I want to tell you that each of my shops carries a few different things.  So if you're not looking at all of them, you may be missing something.  Please stop in!  I would be ever so grateful for whispers in the ears of even just one of your friends that I exist.  Word of mouth is the best way to grow, and I'm just asking for that little seed.  Also, did you know that I design patterns for peyote and loom/square stitch?  If you do these stitches, come see my 174 patterns for both tapestries (large and small) and bracelets.  You can find me at The Bead Coop.  Links for my Shop Handmade and Etsy stores are in the right side bar.

I want to thank you all for being a part of my little corner of the world.  It gives me so much pleasure to share with you and hear from you!

I had a productive bead week!

Hi, everyone!  Hope you had a nice weekend.  I know I sure did.  I was busy busy busy with beady things, which makes me a happy lil girl.  I've got two things to show you today, and I love them both.  My March BJP project is 2nd, so stay tuned for that, k? 

The first one is, well, definitely green. lol  I like green, but this is really green.  I still think it's pretty though.  I think the bracelet turned out awesome, and I can't wait to do it in other colors.  Next up will be a deep luscious purple with gold bracelet and I'd like to do a necklace/choker to match.  I DID IT!!!  I finally got up the nerve to try RAW.  I had a few false starts, but I think I managed pretty well in the end.  I see people do RAW jewelry that is really embellished and fancied up and I just love them.  Hopefully one day I can do that, too.  For today it's just a simple embellishment.

Like I said, I can't wait to try this one in other colors.  I really love how it turned out.

Next up is my March BJP Project.  I have actually been working on this for about 2 months.  For the month of March I decided to learn the Cellini Spiral.  I chose the blues because that color really represents me.  When I first started I didn't buy anything special.  I dove into my stash and chose beads that have spoken to me in the past, and I decided to put a bunch of them together.  It's a "Lisa Whirlpool".  hahaha  Over the past two months of working on and then staring at my 7" of labor intensive Cellini Spiral, I had different things cross  my mind on how I was going to finish it.  First I was going to do the whole necklace in the spiral, but then I thought that would be overkill.  Then I thought about using a cab from my very good friend Beth over at Bellesanbeaus as a focal for the center.  I had intended to do that all the way up until this evening as a matter of fact.  I even did a trade with her to get the cab for it. 

When I realized that an entire Cellini necklace would be too much, I looked high and low for just the right beads to finish it off with.  Sure, crystals would be pretty and Swarovski pearls would have been divine.  You know what though?  I'm really happy with the mixture of Druks I got to mimic the colors in the spiral in different sizes to represent the ups and downs of it.  I guess that's really the way things are going right now...up and down...but in the end those ebbs and flows really make up a beautiful life.  So it made me stop and reflect on mine.  Working with beads is such wonderful therapy for me!!!

I decided, too, that if I put the spiral right in front it wouldn't be as interesting as if it were a little off kilter. After all, I am a little off kilter. :) And I thought that the clasp is far too beautiful to hide in the back of someone's neck.  Don't you think?  So I put it all a little skewed to the side, and it was then when I saw it that I knew it was done.  This necklace was complete and needed nothing else to speak its statement.  Here is my work for the Bead Journal Project for March:

As you can see, I also made a little bracelet using the Druks in the same pattern as the necklace.  I'm thrilled with the work I did for this month, and I can't wait to start on next month.  Don't know what I will do yet, but the idea will come.  Probably at 3:00 a.m. and wake me out of a dead sleep. lol

I will be posting both of these in one or the other of my shops in the next day or so.  Indigo's Beads on Etsy and Shophandmade.

Oh my gosh!!!  I almost forgot!!!!  I made a sale through my Shop Handmade store over the weekend!!!  How awesome is that???  I don't know if she wants me to publish her name or not, so I will just say a great big "Thank you!"  because she knows who she is.

Here's the pic of the one I sold:

I hope you love it when it comes in the mail!

And, I've still got that fantabulous cab coming from Beth, so watch for it to make its appearance soon!

Making a Trade and Some Other Things

Warning...long post ahead!!! :)  It has been a busy beading week for me.  Yea!  Beads, oh glorious beads.  :)  I can't say they were anything too complicated or extravagant, but you know what?  I like them anyways!

First up though I recently went into a trade with my very dear friend Beth over at Bellesanbeaus.  She does the most amazing face cabs, and I'm getting another one.  woohoo for me!  I'm working on a project that I want to use one of her amazing faces for as the focal point.  Being a little tight on funds I asked her if she would be willing to do a trade.  A pretty for a pretty.  She was game so I started wracking my brain on what I was going to make for her.  Her favorite colors are the same as mine...blues and purples...and luckily that's what I have the most of in my stash.  I picked out some of my most coveted beads that I haven't used before and set about making her a bracelet.  Had a few false starts, but what I decided on first was a Russian Spiral.  I just couldn't get the beautiful shades captured in a pic the way I wanted to, but you can get the idea.  I used my favorite bugle beads with varied shades of blue and purple along with some seed beads I found last year.  Until now they have been unopened.  Have you ever looked for a true purple purple shade of seed bead?  It's really hard to find the perfect purple!  When I saw these I knew I had to have them, and they were perfect for Beth's bracelet.  Here's some pics of the Russian Spiral:

I love the way it twists around.  Reminds me of DNA.  I was nervous that maybe she wouldn't like this one, and I really wanted to make sure she was happy so I made her a 2nd one.  This one uses a 4mm (I think) round that was actually called Indigo.  Hey!  They named it after me!  :)  Ok, maybe it was the other way around, but these are another of my coveted beads.  They are a super dark blue, not black.  I also used a triangle seed bead and a sparkly blue for the picot tips to finish out this netting bracelet.  Here are some pics:

Her package came in the mail today and she told me emphatically that she loves loves loves BOTH of them, so I am oh so very happy!  She also told me that my cab is looking pretty marvelous, and I am waiting on pins and needles to get it.  I will show it to you all as soon as it comes in.  She does the most amazing work!

A couple weeks ago my mother-in-law was telling me that I need to get some stuff together for her to take to work to sell there.  She works at a high school, and the teachers just love things like what I make she says.  I have my two higher end sets (the crystal and the dragonfly sets), and I also wanted to give some lower priced things too.  Again, I just used this and that from my stash and set about to see what I could put together with what I already have.  I was pretty pleased with what I came up with.  The first one I think is super pretty.  It's all purples with gold.  Can't go wrong with that, right?  It's made on memory wire, and I just love the way it wraps around.  Here are some pics:

I also did another one like this but using some wood beads that I had no idea when or if I would ever use them.  Surprise!  They worked out great with the combination of natural stones and Czech glass in earthy colors.

Then I did some even simpler ones, but they are using some really great things so I like them.  The next one is made using Stretch Magic, one of my new favorite stringing materials (now that I know how to keep the knots secure).  It's all about lusterous beads.

And then there's this next one.  I picked up this really unusual 3 sided piece of shell quite some time ago.  It's really interesting and has great shades of pinks and browns running through it.

And finally I did one that is using very simple blue beads.  It's dainty, but very sturdy.

Sometime in the next few days I am getting an order in from Artbeads.com, so I'll be showing some more things soon.  I posted these new things in two places.  One is in my Etsy shop here and the other is in my Shop Hand Made shop here if you would like to go take a look.

I probably won't be writing more posts for a few days, so I hope you all have a great weekend!  Bead happy!

Got Some New Pretties in the Mail

I know, it's been simply forever since I've posted anything.  My summer has been hectic and my schedule is all screwed up.  I'm hoping that once the kids go back to school in 25 days (but who's counting?!) that things will get back to a more normal routine for me.  Number one being my beading time!!!  On top of summer, I am still having a hard time being creative.  Maybe it's partly because my schedule is screwed up and maybe partly because it's soooo damned hot in my beading area (me and heat do not get along well).  Maybe I've just got a block.  Maybe it was partly because I was terribly sick for about a week.  (Feeling much better now after a trip to the ER and some meds.)  lol  then there was the dental work I had done the day before I got sick (prepped for a crown and a tooth pulled), and also a UTI on top of everything else.  When it rains it surely does pour!

BUT I've been thinking a lot about my July BJP piece, and I ordered some things because I actually had some ideas!  woohoo!!!  of course, we all know that they rarely turn out the way you think, but at least I've got a jumping off point.  So I wanted to show off some of the pretty things I got to give you a hint of what's to come.  This will be for a 5x7 bead/art piece for the BJP.  I didn't do one for June, but I did 2 for April, so I figure I'm still even!

Ok, so here's some pics....

6/0 Seed Beads in Emerald Green and 13/0 Czech Seed Beads in Green.  I love the deep, rich green of the emerald seeds.  I imagined the 13/0's to be a bit bigger than regular 15/0's, but they actually seem tinier!

Dark Emerald Bugles.  I love the variations of colors and shades in these!  I think they're gorgeous and I can't wait to play with them!

Look at these fabulous Calla Lillies!  OMG they're to die for!  They are Lucite, and are very large...about 1 1/2" long.  They are frosted white and are just stunning.  Again, I can't wait to use these!

These are not what I originally ordered.  I got a phone call from Bello Modo that the Olive Green Plumerias I ordered were out of stock.  Big bummer :(  I was soooo disappointed!  After much debate, I decided to go with the Burnt Orange Plumerias.  They had another flower that was a green color, but it was "just a regular flower" with standard rounded petals and it looked so, well, blaaaah.  I love the shape of the Plumerias...something a little different.  So I decided that the Burnt Orange will contrast nicely with the other beads I have going on in this piece.  I think I'm going to set some green pearls down in the centers of these.

Finally, I got some Tagua Nuts.  I had no idea what they were, but I thought they looked neat.  In the package a little card came with them explaining a little bit about the Tagua Nut.  It turns out that the harvesting and income from the Tagua Nuts of the Tagua or Ivory Palm trees helps to save the rain forests.  Yay!  I'm helping the planet and didn't even know it.  Now I will have to think about buying more in the future.  You can find them at Bello Modo if you are interested in getting some.  They are pretty substantial in size.  They are approximately 1 1/2" x 3/4".  Aren't they cool?

In addition, I am going to center the whole thing around a face cab that Beth at Bellesanbeaus made for me.  It reminds me of a Pagan Greenman.  That's a little of hint of what will be in my next art piece.  I figure it will probably take about 2 weeks if I can make myself sit in the heat for more than 30 minutes.

Last I checked it was 113 degrees here in Phoenix.  And don't tell me "but it's a dry heat."  Bull****  Hot is hot, especially when your eyeballs and mouth dries out instantly when going outside, and your car is so hot that you need oven mitts to drive.  My car a/c doesn't even blow cold enough to cool down the inside of the car and i just got it charged up with freon about 3 weeks ago.  I keep waiting for the monsoons to come, but so far nothing.  Just a few clouds in the sky.  Humidity is going up, though, which is a good sign of storms to come.  I looooooooove thunderstorms!!!  Can't wait to get some!!!!!  Also, for me, the monsoons are a sign that the summer is half over and we're just about over the worst of it.  Hurry up monsoons!  Get here quick!

Oh!  And don't forget to use the 10% discount code Artbeads gave me for my readers out there in blogland.  Just type in SCF10P-ARTBEADS-0125 at checkout to get your discount.  It's good until the end of July!

I Made Something!

It's kind of small and didn't take a terribly long time, but I succeeded in creating something.  What a breakthrough!  :)  The funny thing is, the only thing I used from the stash I bought the other day was the seed beads. lol.  This may not fall into the category of "powerful" or "empowering" by looking at it, but truly it was.  After reading Beth's post on her blog at Bellesanbeaus Crafts regarding her mother "keeping things for good", I was moved to use one of my treasured Painted Ladies that she made.  That to me was very empowering.  I took control of the fear of not doing the cab justice and not being good enough, and just let myself create something with it.  I decided I would not "keep my painted beauties for good".

This is a pin that measures 2 1/4" across and 2 1/2" down on the main oval part.  Side to side including the silver doodads it is 3 3/4" and the loopies on the bottom hang an additional inch.  I hope you can get an idea of the beautiful purples and the different shapes I used from the pics.  I outlined the face with two rows of seed beads in two different colors.  Then the next row I alternated between these luscious and yummy purple balls and fantastic varigated bugle beads.  I added some leaves that are deep purple with hints of blue and green and have a great sheen to them.  The silver doodads were kind of a fun little story.  I had discovered metallite on the Artbeads.com website.  I'm a poor beader and can't really afford true silver and gold so I thought the metallite would be a fun substitution.  (It is!)  Well, I ordered about 10 different shapes in silver and gold and these that you see here were a mistake.  They were off one product code number from the ones I actually ordered.  I called Artbeads about it right away because I didn't like these at all.  They were so big and clunky and I was positive I would never use them.  Well, they said they would mail the correct ones out right away and to just keep these because it wasn't worth the postage to send them back.  Ok, I thought maybe I would find a use for them someday.  And I think they worked perfectly in this project!  So, even if you think you don't like something, just remember that a project one day will scream for just those beads. 

Leaf Masquerade

Is this face not gorgeous, or what???!!!

Another photo color-adjusted slightly differently.

I put this one here so you can see the different dimensions of the beads around the face.

I wanted to say thank you to all of you who lent your support over my last couple of posts.  A lot of you are going through a rough patch as I am, and I want to thank you for your understanding but also know that I am sending hugs and warm thoughts your way, too.

Have a good week and HAPPY CREATING!!!

I love it when the mailman brings me presents!

OMG!  I got the most fantastic presents in the mail today!  A while back my friend and I (Beth from Bellesanbeaus Crafts) decided to make a trade.  She is just getting into beading so I sent her a stash of beads to get going with.  She had quite a few 11/0's from what I understood, so I sent her a lot of 15/0's and some 8/0's, 6/0's and bugles to go with what she already had.  In exchange she was going to send me 3 of her gorgeous painted lady cabs.  But much to my surprise, I got more than I bargained for.  She sent not 3 but 4 of her cabs!  On top of that she sent me a pkg of blue beads, a stunning square cab that I'm guessing is some sort of jasper, and some cylinder beads to go with it.  She said that she thought of me and my cuffs when she saw this square cab.  How thoughtful was that???  Now, I'm going to have fun making a "Beth" cuff.  Take a look at these treasures that she sent to me!

These are the beads to compliment the square cab.  Pretty, aren't they???

The cab is 1 3/16" square and will be just the perfect size for a cuff!  It's gorgeous!

Just take a look at these face cabs!

They all measure about 1 1/2" x 1" and are made of polymer clay then hand-painted.  They are just exquisite.  Please stop by Beth's blog (Bellesanbeaus Crafts) and take a look at the other wonderful things she has done.  She is so very talented!  lol  I just realized there is a blue bead stuck in the eye of the first cab.   I thought I got them all out.  She packed that one in the bag of blue beads and the beads got packed into the eyes of the mask and I had to work at getting them out with a needle.  Oops...missed one! :)  And you can click on any of the pics for a larger view.

THANK YOU BETH!!!

A Giveaway

I just wanted to let everyone know that my good friend Beth over at Bellesanbeaus Crafts is giving away this gorgeous hand made/painted cab in tribute of Mother's Day.  You only have a few days left (April 30) so go see her right away!  She does amazing work!  Take a look at these beauties...

Made by Beth Evans at Bellesanbeaus Crafts