A Dream of Fair Women

All has been quiet on the blog-front lately, but I have been beading like a madwoman behind the scenes.  My latest couple of projects have been secret squirrel business, so I haven't been able to show them...until now!


The latest challenge on the Beading Forum was to create a bracelet to swap with a randomly assigned partner...and the theme was 'Inspired by Art'.


I ached and agonised over which artwork to draw my inspiration from, but in the end I settled on 'A Dream of Fair Women' by Emma Florence Harrison.  The Art Nouveau movement has always been a favourite of mine and an endless source of inspiration.


The vibrancy of the red poppies really stood out to me, so I decided to make them the focus of my 'Poppy Bracelet':

To offset the flatness of the herringbone bracelet band, I created three dimensional poppies and leaves.  The flower stalks move too!

My swap partner is the lovely and very talented Lyn of Beads on the Run.  I hope she likes her bracelet, it's a little more subtle than my usual bold style but I tried to make something I thought she would wear.  Not everyone has such outrageous taste as I do ;-) hehe  


I can't wait to see what Lyn has created for me.  Her work is always beautiful and perfectly crafted.  I will post pictures when her bracelet arrives.  And in the meantime, you can find me hiding in the bushes stalking my postman...


Thanks for looking and be well!

Sea glass pendant

It has been a long, long three months without my precious beads. How happy my hands were to rediscover beadweaving after such an arduous absence! Life is once again returning to a steady, familiar rhythm, and so I am able to bead. Joy!

My latest humble offering is pendant of sea glass hanging from a simple twisted tubular herringbone necklace.

Have you ever wandered along a beach and collected a piece of tumbled glass which has been washed upon the shore? It has been a favourite ritual of mine since I was a child. There is something enchanting about these remnants of times and places unknown, offered up by the sea and carved by Mother Nature. Not knowing where they have come from, nor how long they have been tumbled by the ocean, is an enticing mystery.

This particular piece of green sea glass had a story to tell and so I had to give her a fitting home in which to tell it.

I added a simple fringe, reminiscent of coral or seaweed.

I purposefully left the back of the pendant open. When backlit, the glass gives off a beautiful green glow.

A simple toggle with three square-stitched rings makes the length of the necklace adjustable.

I encased the sea glass with right angle weave and peyote stitch. The openness of the RAW lets the glass receive light from all angles.

My sea glass necklace is making it's way to a lovely lady who has been a family friend since I was a child. She is one of the most vibrant and generous people I have ever known, and her heart is as big as her smile :) She spent countless hours making a gorgeous cot quilt for my daughter and so I wanted to repay her with a small token of my gratitude. This particular piece of sea glass was found on the beach very near to her home, and so I feel it needs to be with her. I hope she likes it :)