My shiny new light studio

Ok, well it's not really shiny. And it's not really new either.

It's a cardboard box and some tissue paper.

Pathetic, eh?

Surprisingly (not least to myself), it is not as pathetic as it sounds.

Courtesy of the fabulous and forever informative Strobist website, I have created my own nifty light studio for under $10. I figure the thousands of $$$ saved on expensive lighting and studio gear can go towards my bead addiction.

Choice.

Whilst I will always jump at the chance to take my beadwork and my camera into the great outdoors and take photos courtesy of the ever-bright and shining Sun God, truth be known, he ain't always willing to co-operate. Too many cloudy, overcast days have cramped my style of late, and being the impatient person that I am, I figure a 24/7 light studio is just what I need.

I'm still working out all the settings on my husband's DSLR camera. Which is taking rather longer than it should because the instruction manual is in Sydney. And we are in Brisbane.

D'oh.

But here is a sample of what I've managed so far:

This is Myrtle the Turtle. She likes to hang out on a roll of paper towels and watch me whilst I bead. Our not-quite-a-baby-almost-a-toddler daughter, India, would love to make some turtle sushi out of her. She's tried to bite her head off on more than one occasion. Myrtle's got a heart of Gladwrap, but don't hold that against her.



And playing dead...so India won't try to eat her:



I re-shot some of my other pieces also. Here is a close-up of 'Celtic Twilight'. I believe the colours are more true to life in this photo than previous photos, especially the scrumptious green iris czech seedies. *drool*



And lastly, 'Dracula's Tango' in ze light box. I'm quite happy with how this photo turned out. The clarity is far better than the original photos.

Another lovely win

What a thrill...my 'Celtic Twilight' necklace received the most number of votes in this week's YOJ poll. So I have another lovely banner to add to my blog.

There were some beautiful pieces created for the Tuatha De Danann challenge, which makes my win all the more humbling. I don't feel as though my necklace was better than anybody else's. But it was a subject close to my heart...I do hope that my Celtic ancestors are pleased.

I enjoyed this theme and found it so inspiring that I'm planning on creating many more Celtic pieces. A Green Man is also on the cards. As always, so many ideas, so little time...

Celtic Twilight

The 'Tuatha De Danann' are an ancient race of Gods and Goddesses who feature in Celtic mythology. They are also this week's YOJ theme on the Beading Forum :D

Being of Celtic/Scottish descent, and a long-time lover of anything mythological and archaic, I couldn't pass up the chance to make something with a distinctly Celtic flavour.

And 'Celtic Twilight' is what I came up with:








I was particularly inspired by Brigid (pronounced 'Breet'), one of the more well-known of the Tuatha De Danann. She is considered a Celtic Triple Goddess, and I wanted to represent the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone into my piece...hence the three glass drops. The Celtic knotwork is a design which I found and modified to suit my design, and it hangs from an antique copper chain.