My creative space...

...is all about learning and growing this week.

Do you remember the work-in-progress piece I showed you yesterday?

It was a steep learning curve...


...I had to teach myself how to sweat solder.


And not just sweat soldering one piece to another...


...but sweat soldering one piece to another to another to another.


Oh, and throw in two different types of metal, and...


...yeah, well I said it was a steep learning curve!
*LOL*


But I finished it...


...and I love it ♥


The *Koutoubia* Necklace

Layers of sterling silver and copper...

...rich with texture.

Measuring 32mm long and 28mm wide, it is petite enough to wear everyday...

...and I think I may just *have* to wear it everyday!

And the inspiration behind this piece?

Photo courtesy of Marie Sophie

This exquisite doorway in the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech.

The doorway inspired this sketch...

 
...which inspired this necklace!

What is inspiring you this week?

More creative spaces over at Kootoyoo.

Sneak Preview: The *Ryad* Necklace in Cinnamon

I am dreaming of Morocco...

...the warmth of the desert, the technicolour architecture, the bustling souks...did I mention the warmth of the desert...?  I would do anything to escape the Winter chill right now!

Photo courtesy of Martin Allen

So, dreaming of Morocco, I present to you another sneak preview from my Moroccan-inspired collection...

The *Ryad* Necklace is a cascade of beadwoven 'windows' in shades of cinnamon and deepest chocolate, with a splash of tangerine...

The centrepiece hangs from a delicate pure copper oval rolo chain which I have patinated, hand-finished, and sealed.  The individual components are connected with patinated copper rings, making the necklace swing delightfully as you walk.

A 'Ryad' (or 'Riad') is a traditional Moroccan house or palace, typically with an enclosed garden.  Many have been converted into hotels, particularly in the popular tourist town of Marrakech.  What an inspiring location to spend a holiday!  

Photo courtesy of  Vince Millett

The rooms of the Ryad are often focused inward and around the central garden, as the outer walls of the building often lack windows to shield the occupants from the harsh elements.  

The 'windows' of my *Ryad* necklace were inspired by these beautiful homes...

Photo courtesy of bgblogging

The Cinnamon colourway is the first in this collection, but I will be making variations of the *Ryad* necklace in different colourways...stay tuned!

What exotic locations are you dreaming of, or inspired by...?

Thanks for looking, and be well!

Sea Star Necklace & Earrings

As I mentioned in my previous post, my Sea Star Necklace and Earrings set is on its way to its new owner in Papua New Guinea (how cool is that!)


Here's the necklace:

And the earrings to match:

When time permits, I will be making this set in different colourways.  Any suggestions?


Thanks for looking, and be well!

My creative space...

It's that time of the week again... 


Thursday means it's time to take a peek inside my bead studio to see what I'm working on.


This Sea Star necklace and earrings set is one of my latest custom orders:

I wear a pair of these earrings all the time, and they always draw compliments.  Everyone loves a starfish!


Head on over to Kirsty's blog to see what other artisans are creating today.

Solaris necklace...and another starfish

My latest custom orders have been shipped off to their new owners, and I'm still waiting with baited breath to find out whether they are happy with them.  The suspense is killing me!  I need to know that they love what I have created for them.  I need to know that I have read their minds correctly and have brought their vision to beaded fruition.


So whilst I'm waiting impatiently, I will show them here and ask what you think.


The client wanted a necklace to wear to the office.  She liked my 'Angelus' necklace but didn't want the large angel-like pendant hanging from the centre, and she wanted it in beige tones, not silver.  The result is a VERY simple necklace...so simple, in fact, that I had to ask my husband to tie my hands behind my back so I wouldn't embellish it anymore.  


Less is more, less is more, less is more...  


The Czech fire-polished beads in copper lustre add a little sparkle without being too over-the-top.  The finished necklace reminded me of rays of sunlight (ok, so you might need to squint your eyes...and use your imagination a little...), and so I have named her 'Solaris':

A sweet little seven year old is the recipient of the following necklace.  She loves the ocean and all its creatures, and turquoise is her favourite colour (well it is this week, but she reserves the right to change her mind...she is seven, after all).  So a starfish was in order.  But this starfish is different to my other starfish...because it has a backside!  It hangs from a looooong tubular herringbone rope so that the little darling can slip the necklace straight over her pretty head.  What seven year old wants to be fiddling with a clasp!  

I am still planning on offering a free tutorial for my starfish, particularly now that I have my swanky new 21.5 inch iMac complete with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and the works.  So I will try to squeeze it in somewhere between designing my website, fulfilling custom orders, creating new designs, entering competitions, looking after my two babies, loving my husband, cleaning the house, brushing my teeth... 


Did I mention that I've given up sleep?


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!

Sea Star necklace

When I first began beading (exactly two years ago!), I promised a good friend of mine that if I ever became any good at it, I would make her something. Two years is long enough, don't you think? I think I'm finally ready :)

She loves turquoise and she loves the sea, so I set about reinventing and revamping a starfish design from my Garland of Galatea necklace using delicas and size 15 seed beads.

Here is my offering to her, a Sea Star necklace in turquoise and copper (which, by the way, is my latest colourway obsession...):

I have recently learnt that an extender chain comes in very handy when you don't know a person's exact neck measurement! LOL

Detail of the starfish pendant:

And detail of the twisted herringbone rope...just because it looks pretty :)

I'm hoping to offer a free tutorial for my starfish design sometime this year...if I can convince my wonderful husband to buy me a Macbook and Photoshop *grin* Should I start a petition? *wink*

Thanks for looking and be well!

Earrings galore

I just can't get enough of earrings at the moment. There is something so satisfying in weaving together a handful of beads and creating something wearable within an hour or two. Now that's what I call instant gratification!

I thought these creole hoops were interesting as soon as I saw them. I had lots of fun bringing them to life by weaving my tiny beads around them.

These 'starfish' were supposed to be part of a necklace, but I changed my mind about including them. Too cute to throw in my box of 'naughty bits', I whipped them up into a pair of earrings. Voila!

And finally, some very simple right angle weave and netted earrings in yummy shades of chocolate and cream. Good enough to eat! ;)