The Evolution of a Collar

Since I have made a pact with the lovely Sharon of Mana Moon Studios to catch and finish some UFO's (that is, Unfinished Objects...not alien spaceships), I thought I would post some photos as proof I am keeping my word ;-)

Here is how this collar has evolved over the last six months. Yes, you read correctly. It has been a work-in-progress for THAT long!

*hangs head in shame*

It all starts with inspiration, and a sketch. Not necessarily in that order. And not always with a sketch. In this case, I sketched first THEN looked for inspiration. Weird? Perhaps, but that's just how I roll.

My initial sketch

The end result is, quite often, absolutely nothing like my original idea. This piece is no different, as you will see. I wasn't sure if I wanted to bead hummingbirds or butterflies. After finding this gorgeous pic of a ruby-throated hummingbird, my mind was made up.

Inspiration (photo courtesy of http://www.gypsywind.com/)

I beaded one hummingbird and then, as so often happens when I begin beading, I decided to change my initial idea of three hummingbirds encircling the neck. Instead, my vision changed to a solitary hummingbird nestled amongst a garden of brightly hued blossoms.

The completed hummingbird

Well, I beaded flower after flower, and NOTHING worked. You can't even begin to imagine the amount of unpicking I had to endure.

*insert image of me ripping my hair out by the roots*

Most of my floral pieces are dimensional. However, dimensional flowers would engulf and overpower my 'flat' hummingbird. And flat flowers just wouldn't work. Or should I say, I couldn't make them work.

My 'work station'...a trusty 'ol Stable Table with a folded baby's swaddle cloth as a 'bead mat' to prevent beads rolling around. Yeah no expense spared, I went all out ;-)

So I gave up on the flower idea and decided I would create a simple background upon which my solitary hummingbird would take centre stage. As the background would also be 'flat', I wanted to create patterns which would create the illusion of movement and provide visual interest, without overpowering my hummingbird. Swirls were the solution.

Am I sick of blue beads yet...?

I tried many different colours and finishes of seed beads before I settled on the gorgeous transparent sky-blue beads sent to me by the very generous Nicole Campanella. It was rather fateful that these delicious seedies made their way into my life when they did...I think they compliment my hummingbird rather well.

So this is where I'm at. Swirls and swirls of blue beads.

I'm unsure how the finished collar will look, what fabric/backing will suit the collar, what style of clasp I will use, what kind of fringe (if any) will be required to compliment the piece, etc, etc. So many questions, so few answers. Trial and error is a large part of my beadwork. I rarely bead a piece from start to finish with a completed vision in my mind. I make things up as I go along. I like to live on the edge ;-) Heh.

Stay tuned for more progress photos!

Ivory & Lemon Pendant

Wearing jewellery is somewhat of a luxury for me these days.

My 15 month old daughter believes it's her duty to liberate me of any adornments. She has the strength of The Incredible Hulk, so my poor jewellery doesn't stand a chance. It's easier to just not wear jewellery anymore than try to grapple with her to pry my precious pieces from her powerful paws.

Being as I'm so adornment-deprived, I'll take any excuse to dress up and wear jewellery!

Our third wedding anniversary last month was the perfect excuse to wear one of my original creations as we were baby-free for a few hours. I'd started this pendant eons ago, and never got around to finishing it. Story of my beady-life, really. I had a particular outfit in mind when I chose this colourway, and it just so happened that I was wearing said outfit to dinner. Bingo, time to finish a UFO! (That is Unfinished Object, not alien spaceship, btw).

It is a bead-embroidered pendant, with a sprinkling of assorted beads and polymer clay roses created by my supremely talented Mum :) I had planned on hanging the pendant from a matching spiral rope, but time got the better of me (doesn't it always?), so I hung it from a simple strand of glass pearls which I'd had lying around collecting dust since my days of working in an office.

The waitress in the restaurant kept staring at my chest whenever she walked past our table. Either she really liked my pendant, or she really liked my cleavage. We'll never know.

Happy, happy new year

As usual I'm fashionably late...this time it is in wishing you all the happiest of new years.

May 2009 be your best year yet in every possible way! :)

My new year started in the most delightfully unexpected way. I received an email from the ultra-lovely Nicole Campanella of BeadWright with the news that I was the winner of her monthly contest for free beads! Winning some free beads is as simple as leaving a comment on Nicole's blog...if your name is drawn out of the hat at the end of the month, you can expect to receive a little package from Nicole in your mailbox. You can also win free beads by visiting Nicole's website and answering a question. How easy is that!

My little package arrived in the mail this morning, all the way from the US. Here are the contents:



Aren't I lucky! *smug*

There are two hanks of Czech seed beads in the most luscious shade of sky-blue. I have already pulled them out of their packet and run my fingers over them too many times to count today...their quality is obvious! I will be saving these beauties for a special project. My package also contained a kit with 14 assorted sizes and colours of Nicole's Bead Backing. The quality and texture of this felt is really fantastic, not to mention the glorious colours! You can get your hands on either of these beady products (and many more) at Nicole's Etsy store or Art Fire store.

I am thrilled to be the recipient of these wonderful and unexpected gifts. It was like opening a little package of happiness, and I don't think I've stopped smiling since :)

Nicole's generosity is something to be admired...and something that we should all aspire to :)

Spread the Love

I don't believe there is anything more flattering than receving recognition from someone whose work and ethics you greatly admire.

So you can imagine my absolute delight to receive The Spreader of Love Award from the lovely and extraordinarly talented Nicole Campanella of Beadwright. What an honour!

Please pay a visit to Nicole's blog where you can view her beautiful creations, read articles about copyright and ethics, and even go into a monthly draw to win beads simply by leaving a comment! Her Etsy store is well worth a visit...you might be lucky enough to snap up one of her gorgeous creations, or you can purchase a fantastic range of beading supplies. Nicole has some great sales when you're certain to grab a bargain, so be sure to pop back often!

Here are the rules to spread the love!

(1) Post a copy of the award on your blog post.

(2) Mention who gave you the award.

(3) Pass the award on to 6 others.

(4) Leave a message on their blog letting them know the honor has been bestowed upon them.

There are so many blogs I love, so this was no easy decision! Here are my picks:

1. My latest blog friend, the beautiful spirit who is Sharon and her loving husband, Damein, of Mana Moon Studios;

2. The ever resourceful Bianca (who has an answer to every conceivable beady question and is always so kind to offer her sage advice freely) of Bianca Velder Creations;

3. The very talented Morwyn and her wicked wit of Another Country BeadWorks;

4. The undisputed queen of freeform brick stitch, Vampi of Beading Bipolar;

5. The wonderful and ever-so-lovely Julie (who I know has only just received one of these awards, but she is just so nice that she deserves another!) of Meanderings by Julz;

6. And last but certainly not least, this being a love award 'n all, I naturally have to give one to be beloved husband, Anthony (whom has only just created his own blog about his second love, aerobatics, after my persistant nagging about the joys of blogging! Love you, baby xxx) Saville Aerobatics.

Thanks for letting me spread the love, Nicole ;)

Happiness is...

...wedded bliss :)



Saying 'I do' on the island of Qamea, Fiji

It is three years to the day since I married my best friend and soul mate. To say that it has been the best three years of my life would be the understatement of the century. It's like saying that we need air to breathe. Well, duh!

Actually, it's been the best four and a half years of my life...we have been practically inseparable since we first met. We could spend every minute of every day in each other's company, and we would never tire of one another. That's saying something.

I have never locked eyes with another human being for the first time and felt the universe slow, and time lay down and be still, as I did with my husband. It was one of those profound moments where you know that life will never be the same. There was an innate awareness that we were just meant to be.

Life has never been better, but we have certainly had our fair share of hard times and heartbreak. Whenever the universe sends some crap our way, my husband jokes that it's because he used up all his good luck when he found me :)

I could gush for days about how Anthony is the perfect husband, and the perfect father. But it's already taken me a week to write this much...the damn pregnancy hormones must be in overdrive because I get choked up and have to type through the tears every time start to think about him!

So, without any further gushiness...

I love you more with every breath, darling. Life without you would just not be worth living!

As a perfume doth remain

In the folds where it hath lain

So the thought of you, remaining

Deeply folded in my brain

Will not leave me: all things leave me:

You remain.

~Arthur Symons~

Tis the season to be...beady

My plum-glazed ham was a runaway success. And we have enough leftovers to feed a small country for a week. Although in my current pregnant state where I *must* eat everything in sight, I doubt they will last long.

How was your Christmas, dear readers? Full of much merriment and mountains of food, I hope. Was Santa good to you?

I must have been a good girl this year (pah, well of course I was!). My stocking contained, amongst other lovelies, 'The Art of Bead Embroidery' by Sherry Serafini and Heidi Kummli. Seeing as I threw myself straight into the deep end of bead embroidery, not really knowing how to swim as such, it's no doubt a very good thing that I now have some guidance and guidelines to follow. I have already read it from cover to cover. It's worth buying for the gallery pages alone. Eye-candy, and then some.



Santa also gave me 'Creative Bead Weaving' by Carol Wilcox Wells. Having recently re-discovered the joys of my local library (I had been shirking the library for years, reasoning that it was only for geeky teens and middle-aged women with a penchant for Mills & Boon romances), I have borrowed 'Creative Bead Weaving no less than four times in the last six months. It's an essential resource for any beader, in my humble opinion. And now it's mine. All mine. *mwahahahahah*



I also received some Delicas in the most drool-worthy shades of purple. They are just begging to be woven into something fabulous. Watch this space.

So all in all, I guess you could say that I enjoyed a very beady Christmas. The best kind!

To all my beady friends and followers, I hope that Santa filled your stocking with much beady goodness. And to all my non-beady friends and followers, from someone who was a non-beader only last Christmas, you don't know what you're missing! Start writing your letter to Santa for next year now and make sure it includes BEADS!

Paradise in Purple (Heather's Garden)

I can finally post some photos of my latest creation. It was a hush-hush project, a Christmas present for my wonderful Mum :) And as she's my biggest fan, she's a frequent visitor to my blog (Hi Mum!) and I didn't want to spoil the surprise before Christmas.

So here it is...Paradise in Purple (Heather's Garden):

It is a bead embroidered choker-style necklace. Many, many hours work. It probably didn't help that I changed my mind at least three times during the process about what I was making...it started as a collar, then became a pendant, and ended up being a choker in it's final manifestation. Nooo, I'm not indecisive...maybe...

It includes some flowers made with simple fringing, a scattering of peyote leaves, and many different types of beads...and even a few... *gasp* ...sequins! I can hear almost hear the beading purists hissing at that admission. I'm not a bead snob, I use whatever works. So bite me!

I wanted to add something to the ends of the ribbon...they looked rather sad in their unadorned state. A jumble of mauve seed beads did the trick. I'm pleased with their berry-like appearance.

I used cotton fabric for the backing as I think it adds something special to the piece. Why shouldn't the back look as good as the front! As recommended by the lovely and always knowledgeable Bianca, rather than gluing the fabric straight to a felt backing (as I did in 'Hope Has a Place'), I used a layer of fusible interfacing between the fabric and the felt. It worked a treat! The finish is much nicer and fraying is not a concern as the edges of the fabric were first folded over and ironed flat. I just love the mind-boggling range of beautiful fabrics available, so it's a thrill that I can use them to good effect in my bead embroidery creations.



I'm pleased to report that Mum loves her new necklace. So much so that she's going to eat, sleep and shower whilst wearing it :)