My creative space...

Wow, Thursday again...already?!


Last Thursday's creative space necklace and earrings set is finished and winging its way to its new owner as we speak.  But more of that in another post. 


Time to peek inside my studio to see what I'm working on today...


This custom order began with bead soups I mixed together in shades of white, emerald, aquamarine and sapphire (to represent the birthstone colours for the months of March, May, June and September...a sweet sentiment, don't you think!)...

The aforementioned bead soups are being woven into a beautiful freeform bracelet:

I love these colours...so serene, tranquil...

To see what other artisans are creating today, head on over to Kirsty's blog.


Thanks for looking, and be well!

From Bead Soup to Bracelet

I'm constantly amazed by the versatility of beads.  They can be manipulated into any look that your mind can devise and your hands can create.  They can be uniform, or they can be organic...they can be precise, or they can be natural.

I find the natural, organic look of freeform beadweaving so appealing, but it is not something which comes naturally to me.  In fact, it makes me feel rather uneasy.  My brain seems to skip the 'free' and instead focus on the 'form'.  How can something that looks so natural, feel so UNnatural?

Having recently acquired the informative, inspiring and visually stunning 'Beaded Colorways' by Beverly Ash Gilbert, I set off on a journey of free-spirited discovery.  I enjoy pushing my creative buttons whenever possible, and this exercise pushed them unmercilessly!  My orderly brain fought the randomness every step of the way, but I got there in the end.  

I began with a pile of warm, earthy bead soup:

And ended up with a bracelet...'Whisper of Autumn':

Hmmm...

Thanks for looking, and be well!

Lemon Lime & Orange - a trip down psychedelic lane

Warning: please don your sunglasses now prior to scrolling down to view the following photos. In the event of blindness, dizziness, or a psychedelic trip...you were forewarned...

Another fabulous challenge on the Beading Forum...this one was too good to pass up, Freeform Psychedelic Stream.

I'd never tried freeform before and was itching to give it a go, although somewhat apprehensive as to how my orderly brain would cope with the 'free' part of freeform. As it turned out, I had a riot of fun making this cuff and it was a great experiment in colour and form. I enjoyed it so much that I am in the process of making a second in pinks and purples (at the request of a fellow forum member).

I named my cuff Lemon Lime & Orange...for obviously reasons...

Got those sunglasses on yet?

I really love the textural element of this cuff. Being a very tactile person, I lurrrrve how it feels.