Thursday 27 June 2013

Bead Hoarders Blog Hop




If you fancy having a reason to use up those beads 
you've been clinging onto 
and making excuses not to use 

The idea is to use up beads from your own stash that 
you've been squirrelling away for whatever reason. 

I've signed up
 and am using it as an opportunity  to use up
the freebie beads I've been accumulating for some time. 

You know the little complementary bags you sometimes get 
from lovely companies to thank you for your order. 












  The pretty mini bead soup mix , as you can see, is from 
Jilly Beads as are the headpins.
(What a useful freebie!)

The rest of the bags are from Little Crafty Beaders  
as a gift when I subscribed to Bead Magazine
some time ago. 

This blog hop is just the impetus I need to 
use up some of these hoarded freebies. 

Check back on July 20th to see what I made,
and what everybody else has created with their secret hoarded 
stash! 


Wednesday 19 June 2013

Fimo Butterfly Pendant



So I decided to have a go at making a Fimo pendant. 
I took the childish approach of just grabbing a blob of it.
Rolling it roughly into a ball, smushing it down with my 
palm and pushing a butterfly clasp 
onto it to give the pattern. 




Paying so little care to the process I don't know why I 
expected to have it popped in the oven, pulled out and 
have it hatch 
into a perfectly formed  'beautiful butterfly' pendant.....

........It didn't! 

However, once I strung it from a crinkle chiffon ribbon 
it looked a bit more rustic than rushed. So it wasn't a total 
failure. (Hopefully!) 


Wednesday 5 June 2013

Swarovski Innovations Introduce New Crystal Shades


Swarovski Innovations are proud to present their new effect
'Crystal Rose Gold'.

The Swarovski Elements mega trend 
for Spring/Summer 2014
has been titled as ' The Female Shift' 
A tribute to today's modern and multifaceted women. 

Bringing us not only the gorgeous Crystal Rose Gold shade
but a co-ordinating pearl, 
and if that wasn't enough 
there is also another new comer to the Swarovski range 
in the form of Light Silk. 
A subtle and delicate parchment toned crystal. 

Pretty lovely, I think you'll agree... 





Light Silk Swarovski Bicone.

* Crystal images from The Bead Shop Manchester *




Saturday 1 June 2013

History Hop Reveal - Art Nouveau



I am very excited to be joining in with Leah Curtis'
History Hop. 

The idea is participants choose an historical era 
and make a piece of jewellery inspired by that time 
then reveal their creations 
on the same date and 'hop around' to see 
what everybody made.    

I chose Art Nouveau for my historical era. 

So what is Art Nouveau? 

Literally French for 'new art' it is , roughly speaking, 
 the creative artwork from the 
early 1890's up until the first world war. 

 Heavily influenced by nature the Art Nouveau style showcases 
lots of curves and flowing lines, flowers, plants and pretty women
with long flowing hair. 
Beautiful natural subject matter. 

' Its influence can be found in painting, sculpture, jewellery, metalwork, glass and ceramics. 
The drawings of Aubrey Beardsley, the architecture of Victor Horta and Paul Hankar and the poster designs of Alphonse Mucha are some of the most familiar examples of the Art Nouveau Style.' 
- Quote from the Victoria and Albert Museum website. 
  
I have to admit that when I think 'Art Nouveau'
 the very first thing that springs to mind is the art work by Mucha. 

File:Alphonse Mucha - Job Cigarettes 1.jpg
Mucha art work advertising Job cigarettes.
-When did smoking look this beautiful! 

So for my design I choose a porcelain cabochon
 featuring his art work as my focal. I beaded a flower design 
above the cabochon to keep in with the era's theme of nature. 

A quick Google search of the jewellery from that period 
showed me that it was mainly precious metal work and 
enamelling that were popular, but I wanted to make a beaded piece. 

So my inspiration, as you can see, 
is taken from the aesthetics of the era
 rather than the materials!

I'm pretty new to this bead embroidery thing 
but I really enjoyed making it. 


Thank you to Leah Curtis for the inspiration and 
for organising this fun blog hop :-) 



Participants list 

Leah Curtis - Indus Valley - beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk
Laney Mead - Māori - laney-izzybeads.blogspot.co.uk
Becca - Art Nouveau - godsartistinresidence.blogspot.com
Melissa - English Romanticism and Mourning Jewelry - beadrecipes.wordpress.com
Tracy Stillman - Native American - tracystillmandesigns.com
Gerda - English Romanticism and Mourning Jewelry - gerdascraftsblog.blogspot.com
Liz E - Native North American - beadcontagion.blogspot.com
Ahowin - Māori (New Zealand)  - blog.ahowinjewelry.com 
Jasvanti - Indus Valley - jewelrybyjasvanti.blogspot.com
 Lizzie - Art Nouveau - theneedtobead.blogspot.co.uk 

Julia Hay - Merovingian - pandanimal.blogspot.co.uk

Dini - Celtic - angazabychanges.blogspot.nl
Caroline - Art Nouveau - blueberribeads.co.uk 
Charlie - Moche of Peru - clay-space.com/blog 
Karin - China - maverickbeads.blogspot.com
Niky Sayers - Rome - silverniknats.blogspot.com 
Marcia Dunne - Celctic and Mourning Jewelry - thealternativefoundry.blogspot.co.uk
anafiassa - Mesopotamia - anafiassa.blogspot.com
Kokopelli - Native American - kokopellidesign.blogspot.com
Christa - Native American - adventuresofwonebeadywoman.blogspot.com
Clair - Roman - obstinatepursuit.blogspot.co.uk
Susan Bowie - Native American - susanbowie.wordpress.com
Gloria Allen - English Romanticism - gloriaallendesigns.blogspot.com
Sheila Garrett - Early Russia - 4brownowl.blogspot.co.uk