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!

Alexandra

The weekly challenge on the Beading Forum this week is 'Czarina'. Naturally, I had to enter! The word immediately conjured images of Russian royalty, decked out in glorious gold and regal purple.

Here is my interpretation...I have named her 'Alexandra', after the last Tsaritsa of Russia:

The curved components are created with herringbone and peyote stitch, and they are strung between glass pearls and glass teardrops:

I have always been a fan of wire wrapping, but have never ventured into that arena myself...until now! I am determined that 2010 is the year to learn, so I dug out my copy of Rachel Nelson-Smith's 'Seed Bead Fusion' (great book, cool chick) and made my first wire wrapped clasp using her easy-to-follow instructions. And here is the result:

The clasp is made with 20 gauge wire and wrapped with 32 gauge wire. I even made all of my own jumprings! (Funny how you start seeing everything as a possible mandrel when you begin wireworking... LOL) Here is a closer look (don't laugh, it was my first attempt at wire wrapping!):

Thanks for looking, and be well!

Idylle

Idylle, which is French for 'romance', is my latest beadwoven creation. A romantic, lacy, Olde Worlde necklace in shades of lilac and cream.

This is a great example of how one idea can lead to another. The beaded beads and pendant in my "Vintage Rose" necklace inspired me to push those ideas further to see what I could create. And this is the result, variations on the same theme but a completely different outcome:

Detail of the floral motifs (they are identical front and back, so the reverse side of my necklace is just as pretty as the front):

Detail of the floral clasp. As usual, I wanted it to blend in with the rest of the design:

I hope you explore some variations in your own work. We all need a good dose of 'What if...?' occasionally. You never know what it will lead to! ;)

Angelus

Tis the season...for making beaded gifts!

This necklace is winging it's way to its new owner as we speak, just in time for Christmas. I have named her 'Angelus' which is Latin for 'angel'...the central motif looked angel-like to me:

It was frustratingly difficult to take a decent photo of this piece. The twisted hematite bugle beads are so sparkly in real life, as are the crystal AB rondelles. Anyway, you get the idea:


Detail of the central 'angel-like' motif:

I wanted the double-sided toggle clasp to reflect the rest of the necklace design. And this is what I came up with. What do you think, does it work?:


The whole design came together so quickly, starting with the central motif, as if by magic. Don't you love it when pieces work that way! :)