Friday, April 27, 2012

Oh, What A Mess!!!!

And now its time for revealing my chaos for the Messy Workshop Blog Hop By Brenda Sue

I am a naturally messy person...or in other words, I have zero organizational skills. Zero! The husband is the opposite, everything, even his trash can is organized and neat and clean. So I bet he cringes every single time he comes home from work in the evening to see this...


Yup! This is my living room. Before I started beading, our home used to be like a model home, everything placed very thoughtfully and not a sign of chaos. But oh well...here we are.

I have tried to contain my work to this little corner though. Actually, am trying to not let things overflow from the yellow sheet. Its a challenge! Notice the pliers...they are taking up the space where my butt is supposed to be!

This is the main area, will share some pics of each little bit one by one...

This little ottoman is my "desk". Here are a few different "works" in progress. Now when I look at the picture, I have no clue what I was trying to make!



Here's a beading tray that I used for current projects before the chaos spread so much. Its by the fireplace, hiding the hubby's careful arrangement of candles. Some beads in prescription bottles, a needlebook, a pair of finished earrings under the tray, and various things that I started, but never got around to finishing.




The other side of the "desk". The white box is my "tool box". Then there is a case for my crochet hooks, a tae measure, box of wires, and the pink Victoria's Secret bag holds my small, but precious inventory!


Another view of the same...hmm...the pliers seem to be marching away under the desk!


The "other" other side of the desk...


I tried so hard to not let my supplies spill out of the yellow sheet. But they escaped!
Some more prescription bead bottles, rubber block for hammering, bust, glue, and an ongoing crochet project in the blue Wet Seal bag.

And finally my "storage" area


The big bag contains beads in ziplock bags sorted by color. The Guess bag as brass components, and the other Guess bag has silver and gold tone components.
*Edited to add: The hubby got my bags organized, not me :-)

Not a whole lot of supplies actually :( Which is good and bad...I can still control the chaos a bit!

My camera died right after this picture. I guess it could not handle any of this anymore!

So there it is in all its glory!

Be sure to check out all the other creative mess other participants have put up!


Brenda Sue LansdowneRobin DelargyKim at Cianci Blue
Jennifer Jazwick-SmithMary Shannon HicksTracy Swartz
Jacqueline MarchantLynnea Perry BennettTerry Matusyk
Laurel StevenDr. Brassy SteamingtonPamela Takeshige
Kris Lanae BinsfeldOutre ArtLinzi Alford
Deb DavisTamara JonesHarry Wood
Gerry NickersonElizabeth Owens-DwyGeorgene Lockwood
Charisa SloperJennifer JustmanBeanzie
Mary DeisCheri ReedSondra Kolner
Sonya Ingersoll-StilleLori AndersonSandra McGriff
Shelly JoyceJoan WilliamsKashmira Patel
Deb BeechyGinger BishopKelli Jacobson
Natalie McKennaAndrew ThorntonMary Govaars
Kate MulliganLisa LodgeTami Luchini
Monique LulaLee KoopmanJayne Capps
Susan LloydCynthia WainscottStephanie Amanti
Alicia MarinacheSam HampLennis Carrier

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Friday, April 20, 2012

Wrapped, Stacked and Layered

If you are looking for the reveal for Bonnie's Spring Creative Color Challenge post, please go here

Bracelets! I have a love-hate relationship with them. Sometimes I totally HAVE to have them (which is usually when I am shopping) and at other times I wonder why anyone even needs them (you guessed it, this is when I am getting dressed to go out). I think this is what created a mental block: I cannot ever create bracelets. The biggest concern has been what size should I make, there really can't be a standard size for it (and yes, you big chain stores, there IS NOT a standard size! Maybe you ought to stock something for the smaller boned people too, so the bangles don't fall off their wrists!)

I made my first bracelet ever for my little niece. She is all of 8 years old and was visiting me over Christmas. I asked her what I should make for her, and she said she wanted an anklet. Gulp! We settled for a bracelet instead and together we made something very cute with red beads and little fish. But see, she was there, I could size is properly. Anyway...enough rambling....

I saw this challenge Tracy announced early this month.



I knew it was now or never for me! Time to overcome the block! I took it up.

And I did make bracelets. 4 of them! And I loved them. The fear is gone. I can't wait to make more. But the challenge that Tracy had set was to stack them. That one I think I failed at :( All four bracelets I made were SO different from each other, no way I could stack them together. So I picked one, and rummaged through my jewelry drawer to find something I could stack it with. I found two bracelets..handmade...by my husband! (He's the brave one! He never had any bracelet-phobia!). I decided to use those.

Time to click pictures...I searched all around the house to find something to use to photograph the stack. Found NOTHING! So I failed again :(( I did take some awful pics in the bad light that was left when I got home this evening.

So ... here goes...my meagre offerings....

This is a pic of the bracelet my husband made. He made two of these...


The bracelet is actually so very pretty, I hate to post this crappy pic here. Hope he doesn't see it, he'll hate me for it!

And here's the bracelet I made following Erin Seigel's tutorial



And here is my sad stack



Here's the list of all the participants:


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Spring Time Color Challenge

As mentioned in a previous post, I am due to reveal my creation for Bonnie's Spring Creative Color Challenge.

Here's the inspiration picture that I instantly fell in love with. It didn't spark off any ideas...but I SO wanted to do something with these colors


I even bought some tiny black millefiori beads with yellow flowers in it. But never got around to actually making anything with it. But as luck would have it, just before Bonnie announced this challenge, I had made an absolutely delightful pair of earrings which were a perfect fit for this!

See?



It has the colors I wanted...yellow and blue, it has the flowers and it is perfect for spring!

Apologies for the hurriedly clicked shabby picture. I did not want to be late again this time for this challenge!

Bonnie will put up pics of other participants creations on her blog Jasper's Gems. Do stop by to check them out!
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Friday, April 13, 2012

Flap Your Wings, Ms. Judy!

This post is about Judy Glende, a beading artist who was much loved and is dearly missed by the entire beading community. I am relatively a newbie in the beading world, and did not know Judy personally.
I used to frequent her etsy stores JudithBDesigns and Flap Your Wings and marvel at all the beauty she created.
I also followed her blog and ead her last few posts. She came across as a super sweet and caring person.


Found out about her passing from friends in the community, and through them, I also felt a sense of loss and wanted to join everyone in paying my tributes to her.


Tania from Moobie Grace Designs arranged for this blog hop where several of us have come up with designs that were in some way inspired by Judy's life and work. Participants will either sell or auction their work and proceeds will be donated to a charity of their choice. I hope you find something you like and help us to celebrate the wonderful person, Judy Glende.


Here is the list of participants:


1. Tania Spivey
2. Lori Anderson
3. Kashmira Patel <- You are here
4. Gail Accinelli
5. Rebecca Anderson
6. Rebekah Payne 
7. Amanda Doyle Tibbetts 
(Amanda regretfully couldn't participant in the reveal but will be making a donation)
8. Kim Ballor 
9. Rochelle Brisson 
10. Sandra McGriff 
11. Lana Kinney 
12. Kym Hunter 
13.  Terri Wlaschin 
14.  Ginger Bishop
15.  Shannon Chomanczuk 
16.  Kelli Jacobson
17.  Patricia Gasparino
18.  Deana Hager
19.  Erin Siegel
20.  Deborah Wenske Brooks
21.  Lynne Bowland
22.  Alicia Marinache
23.  Pam Ferrari
24.  Shirley Jones Moore
25.  Joanne Tinley
26.  Shanti Johnson
27.  Lorelei Eurto
28.  Antiquity Travelers
29.  Shelly Joyce
30.  Marlene Cupo
31.  Dee Torcherer Elgie


I went and looked at Judy's creations to find some inspiration there. She did a lot of "vintage-inspired" work, and so I decided to make something with the antique bronze finish. For some reason, I did not want to add wings to my creation, but at the same time I wanted to make something Judy would like to wear :-) I hope she likes these!

My set is already sold to a dear friend who has been a huge support to my fledgling jewelry making aspirations. I will be donating the proceeds to Judy's family.

And finally...will let the pictures do some talking :-)




I know I have posted this picture before, but these earrings were made for this blog hop.


I also made a necklace to go with this, which I am totally in love with.





I wish I had better pictures of the necklace. But it has been raining non-stop for the last few days, and this is the best I could do.

This set is also my first sale after I officially setup my business. Am glad this is for Judy. They will be sent off to a lucky birthday girl next week. I hope she likes her gift, and I hope Judy does too :)

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Catching up!

Haven't blogged in soooo long!

I have been thinking about it of course, have so many posts all written out, in my head, that is. Nothing out here :(( This time, I shall blame the weather for it! No sunshine, no pictures, no blog posts. Simple!

But I have been busy...signing up for a lot of swaps and hops and challenges. I feel bad I have not written about them here yet. So here I am trying to catch up!


Flap Your Wings Design Challenge by Tania of Moobie Grace
April 14, 2012


This one is a tribute to a very loving and generous designer who lost her battle to cancer last month. Or as Tania puts it ...she gained her wings.
A group of artists decided to design something in her memory and donate the proceeds to a charity of their choice. In Judy's name. I decided to join them. My design is already sold, so I will only be putting up pictures.



Springtime Creative Colour Challenge by Bonnie
April 21, 2012
Very simple rules on this one. Bonnie had hosted a color challenge last month too, and very graciously agreed to let me enter my earrings after the challenge was closed. I promise not to be so tardy this time!
The rules are simple, use the art work she puts up for inspiration and create something. So very simple :-)
I totally fell in love with this month's artwork. See...such a happy picture!
I bought new beads for this (usually I just use what I have on hand) since I did not have anything in yellow. This challenge is going to help me get over my "yellow block". I LOVE the color, but have a hard time creating with it. So this is good for me :-)



Wrapped, Stacked and Layered Challenge by Tracy Statler of Make Bracelets
April 21, 2012




Stack 'em up, its the trend this Spring! The challenge is to make one or more bracelets that you can match up with some favorites that you already have. And no rules against making an entire stack :-)
I joined this one solely to overcome my fear/block of making bracelets. I have made four very very different bracelets since then. They co-ordinate neither with each other, nor with anything else I have. So...the challenge is still a challenge for me :-)


Messy Workshop Blog Hop By Brenda Sue
April 27, 2012




No designing here....just a tour of how all the prettiness really gets made. Diamonds come out of blackest of black coal, lotus flowers grow in dirty, muddy waters, so I guess my messy beady corner is appropriate for the prettiness that comes out of it. So I say to myself, at least :-)


Sharyl's Bead Packet Design Challenge 
Date: TBD

I got to know Sharyl through Facebook, and was lucky enough to be picked as a participant in this challenge. Sharyl has sent out identical bead sets to all the participants. It is going to be FUN to see what 5 different creative minds will come up with.
Sharyl will decide on the reveal date once everyone gets their beads.


One Crayon Color Challenge By Sally Russick 
May 5, 2012



This one is different. And quite challenging to me. I have to come up with a monochromatic design! If you know me, you know how I love to make everything look like it was a piece of a rainbow :-)
Sally asked participants to come up with a design in one of the 8 basic colors, and design with only hues of the same color. I made it harder for myself, I picked black :-) Black and all its hues, here I come to make you all look pretty together :-)

And then, I have signed up for some swaps:

Vocal Focal Bead Swap by Bonnie 

Will be swapping a nice focal bead with Shirley Moore of Beads and Bread
She is a bead-weaving artist, and I asked her to MAKE me a focal. She was sweet enough to do that, and will be mailing it out for me tomorrow. Sooper excited!

Finally, there is a supplies swap I am participating in...will need to go look if there is a blog link for it.

Thazzit for  now folks! Gotta get busy and work on all these challenges!



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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Little Mermaid

Ok, maybe she is not a mermaid, but I would like to call her one. Ok?

A few days back, I saw this post on Copper Diem's blog: "Sweater Ribbon Bracelet Tutorial"

Totally fell in love with it, and wanted to make one too!

Saturday was my monthly craft meet with the girls (we have been meeting once a month for two years now!), and I decided I will use that time to make my ribbon.

I decided to use a deep purple yarn, hoping to add pink and green beads. I had seen two blog hops that I thought I could use it for. One for making something using purple, pink and green (sorry, I am not able to find a link to this one), and the other for the "Wrapped, Stacked and Layered Bracelet Challenge" hosted by Tracy Statler.

I was hoping to shoot three birds at once, but I think I managed...maybe two of my goals since I couldn't figure out a way to add anything green in there.

Here's the ribbon I made using the "Puff Stitch".



Took me three tries to get this made.

First try: I made a rookie mistake of using the same size hook for creating the base chain that I used for rest of the ribbon. And it was twice the length I needed. End result? A nice edging for a scoop neck top!

Second try: Ripped that one out (didn't want it sitting there tempting me to sew a top to go with it!). Made another about 7 inches long. Used a larger hook for the base chain, and it worked out quite nicely.
Why it failed? I added large bead cones to finish off the edges. That and the clasp added 3 inches! Was making this for a human person, not a baby bear, so FAIL!

Third try: I left the second ribbon and made a new one, 5 inches long. Perfect? Nope. I added the bead cones, and the mermaid and things just did not want to sit right, the mermaid kept flopping around. At, least the ribbon was fine!

So then, I removed the bead cones, and added regular ribbon ends. Works? Nope. Now the bracelet is too short! Its for an adult human person, not a baby human person. But I was quite fed up of making ribbons, so I added chain at the end to get the extra length.

And here is the final, PERFECT bracelet :-)


Here's a close-up of the mermaid:



I had originally attached the mermaid chain directly to the bead cone, which was probably why this did not work. But no worries, in the end, I like it flatter like this, and I like the two chains at the ends.

Not sure I can use this for either of the challenges though, one, since it is missing green, and two, I am not sure what I can layer with this.

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Sunday, March 18, 2012

Part of my heart!

This is a very special post...about...err...a part of my heart :-)

I was in India last month for about 3 weeks. Had a lot of fun, spoke to my friends and family about my plans for an etsy store. I was overwhelmed by the support I got. A friend brought me some very special seeds to make into jewelry. And then she found me some really pretty wood beads. She even came to meet me halfway between her office and mine on my last day in town to bring them to me. Another friend brought me some more beads in a pretty little box that I can use a prop for my photos, my sister's niece took me shopping for beads...I found the most amazing textile and natural beads where she took me, and sister's sister-in-law (yeah, that far down the relation heirarachy!) dug up her stash of embroidery supplies to find something for me. My sister gave me her own vintage jewelry to do-over. And on and on....I am ever so grateful for my family and friends and all their support!

My sisters and I got together the last night of my stay in Pune for dinner. One of my nieces' couldn't come because she had an exam the next morning and was preparing for it. As luck would have it, I could not make that flight (that is a story for another post..but it was not my fault...just saying ;-).

Everyone was expecting me to be upset about this, but I was actually glad to get an extra day there! I wanted to meet a few people, speak to some others and also got a chance to say bye to my niece.

So..the next day, my niece called me and said she would come to my parents' house in half hour. I told her I was leaving for the city my new flight was from in about 10 minutes. She sounded a bit disappointed and handed the phone to her mom. She right away explained...the girl had been baking a bead for me, it was in oven and would be done in 15 minutes! So I decided to drop by their home on my way.

She had made me a polymer clay heart. The perfectionist in her didn't like it, but I loved it! The colors were so vibrant, just the way I like it. I was so happy...her and her younger sister were sitting at the kitchen table making more canes. It was a school day and one of them had just finished an exam. They were spending their free time making beads for me, so sweet :)

I was thinking about what to make with it so I can wear it often. I ended up making a bracelet. And here it is...I will be wearing my heart on wrist :-)



I learnt how to make the beaded ring in the latest issue of "Stringing" magazine, and knew that is exactly what I needed for stringing the heart. There are quite a few "firsts" in this bracelet.

First time I used memory wire
First time I made the beaded ring
Not quite the first, but still learning how to make the wrapped loop that is attaching the red bead to the bracelet.
And of course, the first bead my niece made :)

Here are some close-ups...



The memory wire was a tad bit too big for my wrist. So I wore it around my neck :-) I need to fix it to fit me.
Here's another closer look...


Isn't it so pretty!

Photo courtesy: The hubby
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