My creative space - I'm trying!

I made a pair of earrings.

and I finished a bracelet.

Whooooopie! go me!

I really enjoyed making these earrings.
They were quick and fairly easy.
I adapted a design by Carole Horn from Beadwork magazine.
Her design was for a whole necklace - it is very pretty.

I used the lime green beads instead of her pearl rounds.

I also finished the bracelet that I started last week.

I decided to use a button as a closure as I didn't have any of the slidey clasps that were used in the original.

I also like using buttons - they are a simple way to finish a beadwork bracelet and you can do them up with one hand (which is very useful when putting bracelets on).

I'm thinking of joining in with Jewelry making mojo challenge over on Humblebeads blog.
The thing that is holding me back at the moment is that the first assignment is to enter a challenge or contest.
That bit is really scarey!
Also I think i need a fair bit of mojo to do that....and since my mojo is missing it's kind of hard.

I'll think about it.

My Creative Space - not too much creating here folks

It's a relatively quiet time of year - have I said that before.
And I guess I am resting on my laurels a bit, or at least getting through some of the things already made.

But today I made some Czech glass drop earrings for an etsy order - it's nice to get the pliers in hand again.

And something I prepared earlier -

Which just needed finishing.
Aka, they needed the earwires attached - no biggie.

designed by Alice Kharon from Bead and Button magazine

design by Sue Charette_Hood in Beadwork magazine

design by Maggie Meister in Beadwork magazine

There is another WIP.
It's a bracelet designed Smadar Grossman in Beadwork magazine.

I didn't have quite the right beads but I made do.
It's coming along nicely.
I'm nearly up to the clasp stage, so I have to decide how I'm going to do that part.

Watch this space!

How has your creative (or not) been?

Plain and simple - my creative space.

Sometimes I get asked for things that I wouldn't usually make.
I'm sure we all do, yes?

You know, you are very clear about where your creative direction lies.
Certain in your aesthetic.
Happy with your outcomes.

AND THEN.....you get asked "do you have a plain yellow necklace?".

Well, no!

What I really love to do is get a bunch of beads, spread them on my work table...play with a little, and make something quite wild and wonderful, or colourful and bold, or at least, co-ordinated and competent.

So...I thought "OK, I will, just see if I don't!"
I can do it, it's not a too easy-peasy, boring-as-a-brick, *yawn* sort of thing to do.

It's not the most creative thing in the world, but I have some nice beads that would look really good just by themselves with no fussy distractions.

And some I prepared earlier!

They have been quite popular....and don't say "I told you so!"

What I've been working on.

Lovely, luscious bead necklaces.

Ready for the Millthorpe Markets on Sunday in the sweet little town of Millthorpe in the central west of NSW.

My Creative Space - going bonkers for bracelets!

I found my mojo! Hurray!
There's nothing like the looming summer markets and festivals to stir one into action is there?

And it's summer!
Which means it's great weather for wearing sleeveless or short-sleeved frocks.
And what do you need to go with said sleeveless frocks?

Why! a bracelet of course.

So I have been busily getting my beads out and so far I have made 25 bracelets - I can't seem to stop.
My many treasures bracelets are also a great way for me to use up some of the beads that will never become earrings *sob* or climb to the lofty heights of a necklace but they meet up with their buddies in a bracelet.

I also made some quite summery necklaces -

What next?
Perhaps I should make some earrings - or some button studs - or ....some more bracelets, hehe!

Rocks and seeds - my creative space

I got my mojo going....so......
I got my rocks out!

And some seeds -

and here's what developed -

A series of simple long necklaces.

Look out for them soon in my etsy shop or at The Nook Leura.

Owls and trees and a bit of seed beading - my creative space

I'm still finding inspiration from Beadfreaky's lovely little ceramic pendants.

I bought a few of them!

Here I combined an owl pendant with some nighttime themed components.
Some gorgeous rainbow moonstone beads, silver beads that look like birds nests. Contrast comes from the blue agate beads and labrodite beads and chips. I found some glass star beads to continue the theme and add some depth.

Here I used a tree pendant for a woodland theme - brass bird components plus some beads in the same tone family. A wonderful mookite beads, some rutilated rhodonite (the slightly pinky flat ones), a couple of green ceramic bead tubes, accented with the bright green howlite composite beads and a few unakite beads (the pink and green ones).
I used a small portion of chain at the back for lightness.

I'm pretty pleased with the way these turned out - but time will tell if anyone else is!

I also wanted to do a small project that I could do while the tennis is on (yes, it's Wimbledon time again).
I had an idea for some circle earrings - I guess it was making the large loopy ones awhile ago that kept the idea in my head. You can see them here.

I thought I'd have to use different size beads for this, but I really don't like the really little size 15 ones - and I don't have a great variety of this size anyway. But realised that I'd have to use them and some size 11's plus maybe size 8's in order to get the circle thing going.
Now I realise that I'm not inventing the wheel here and that there is probably a tutorial somewhere about how to make circles - so off to the interwebs I went - and I didn't have to look far.

If you haven't already found it, Interweave Press's Beading Daily site is a wonderful resource - there are many free downloadable projects as well as tips, technique tutes and all sorts of other grand stuff.

I happened to spot a beaded toggle clasp by Melinda Barta in the free peyote stitch projects ibook - that would tell me how to do it!

Sure enough it told me what I needed to know - bead sizes, number of stitches, number of rows - easy! So I could also concentrate on the tennis (Our Sam won and then our Bernie : D )

This is as far as I got last night and I think they might need to be a bit bigger, but I'll see what they look like when I finish.

How has your creative week been?

Do you have any favorite in-front-of-tv projects?

Joining in with My Creative Space at Village Voices on Kidspot - hop on over and have a look.

My creative space - at last!

What have I been doing?

Who knows!

Rattling around and not getting much done.
I have so many ideas but can't seem to knuckle down to actually doing anything.
Do you ever have times like that?

In my defence I have been photographing and listing stuff in my etsy shops.
I've been organising a trip to Italy and slowly, so slowly de-cluttering planet-palace!

So today was the day - get out those silver hoops you bought months ago and the huge stash of beads.
Find your fine wire...
Get started!

Voila!
Beaded hoops.
I'm a bit excited!!!

I want to make them in a gazillion different colours.
Nice bright colours.
Yes.

Hopping on over to Creative Spaces at Village Voices on Kidspot.
Why don't you come over too?

Earrings - again, of course! My Creative Space

You know that I love creating earrings?
It's how I started along this crazy path in my life!

One of my first loves was these lovely Czech glass beads.
The come in various shapes and sizes and they are beautiful enough to stand by themselves without a great fuss.

Most of these earrings will be heading up the hill to the gift shop at Everglades Gardens in Leura.
They are also available in my etsy shop.

While I was replenishing my supplies of those I discovered some other czech glass beads - dual colour rondells.
They also need a simple treatment.

 

Oh, and an amazing glass bead that looks like stone - it's called Persian Turquoise. I love it!

These earrings might be an exclusive range in my madeit shop. 

I also found some wonderful faceted czech glass beads to add to my collection of long drops with sterling silver ear wires.

Also so simple - so chic!

I'm joining in with My Creative Space on Village Voices over on kidspot.
Hop on over and join in!